28 flood insurance claims·$553,256 paid·4 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Miller County, Missouri. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Miller County, Missouri, accounting for 89 recorded events and three deaths over the last 30 years alongside 20 standard flood events.
Recent history demonstrates this recurring hazard. During early morning thunderstorms on June 29, 2025, localized flash flooding occurred across central Missouri. Earlier in the year, between April 4 and April 6, 2025, multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms brought high rainfall amounts, significant flash flooding, and minor to moderate river flooding to southern Missouri.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay close attention to properties across all mapped zones, as historical National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows impacts outside standard high-risk areas. Specifically, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 13 claims averaging $7,979 with an average water depth of 9 inches, Zone A recorded 6 claims averaging $19,128 with an average water depth of 9 inches, Zone X recorded 6 claims averaging $49,132 with an average water depth of 1 inch, and Zone UNKNOWN recorded 3 claims averaging $19,697 with an average water depth of 1 inch.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 6 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2013, with 4 claims and $180,421 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding and Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
22 NOAA storm reports from Miller County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Aug 2, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
109 since 1996: 89 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 11, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2025. Thunderstorms occurred during the early morning hours across central Missouri, producing localized flash flooding. A larger complex of thunderstorms with severe winds moved through southwest Missouri during the afternoon and evening hours of June 29th, producing widespread damaging winds from Dade County, southeast into the Springfield metro area and then southeast into Taney County. Widespread power outages and d…
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 2025. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred across southern Missouri between April 4th and April 6th. The highest rainfall amounts occurred southeast of Springfield where pockets of 8-10 inches with localized amounts to 12 inches occurred. Significant flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding occurred, especially across south central Missouri. Two flood fatalities occurred with this system in W…
Flash Flood · May 26, 2024. A second round of severe thunderstorms occurred during the afternoon and evening on May 26, 2024. Supercell thunderstorms initialized over central Missouri and spread southward as rapid destabilization occurred along and east of Highway 65. 40-55 knots of deep layer shear combined with steep mid-level lapse rates and sufficient instability primed the atmosphere to produce all modes of severe weather. This included…
Flash Flood · May 8, 2024. Two rounds of severe thunderstorms occurred on May 8, 2024. The first round occurred during the morning and early afternoon hours as a surface low pressure system approached the area from the southwest, pushing a strong frontal boundary and shortwave energy/lift into the region. For this round, thunderstorms were more elevated in nature, producing hail up to golf ball size, damaging winds, and flash flooding due t…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Miller County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.