27 flood insurance claims·$261,495 paid·6 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 Moniteau 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood history of Moniteau County, accounting for 27 of the 34 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general flood events.
Recent events illustrate this pattern. On August 2, 2023, thunderstorms produced widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches with isolated totals exceeding 6 inches, causing flash flooding through the overnight hours. An earlier event from April 29, 2017, brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain with totals surpassing nine inches in some locations, leading to flash flooding and historic flooding along Missouri river tributaries. Additionally, training storms on August 1, 2016, resulted in multiple reports of flash flooding across central Missouri.
Homeowners and real estate professionals should note that National Flood Insurance Program claims are heavily concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A properties experienced the vast majority of claims with 24 filings, averaging $13,163 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. By comparison, Zone X unshaded properties recorded 2 claims averaging $17,943 with an average water depth of 7 inches, and Zone X shaded properties recorded 1 claim averaging $15,000 with an average water depth of 3 inches. Properties located in Zone A face the highest frequency and depth of flood impacts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Moniteau County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
27 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 17 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 1995, with 13 claims and $45,046 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Hail, 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Moniteau County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 24, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 17, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2023. Thunderstorms developed over central Missouri during the early evening hours. They moved east/southeast through the overnight hours. Numerous large hail and damaging wind reports were received. During the late evening through overnight hours, widespread heavy rain fell causing flash flooding. There was fairly widespread 1-3 rainfall totals, with isolated 6-8+ in central Missouri and south-central Illinois.
Flash Flood · Apr 29, 2017. A strong spring storm system brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain to the southeast half of Missouri during the weekend of April 29th-30th. Rainfall totals surpassed nine inches in some locations and this led to flash flooding and historic flooding along some of the tributaries of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Areas along the Meramec River were especially hard hit as new records were set…
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2016. Several rounds of storms trained over central Missouri during the evening hours of July 31st through the morning hours of August 1st. There were several reports of flash flooding with one fatality in Cole County which occurred during the early morning hours of August 1st.
Flash Flood · Aug 1, 2016. Several rounds of storms trained over central Missouri during the evening hours of July 31st through the morning hours of August 1st. There were several reports of flash flooding with one fatality in Cole County which occurred during the early morning hours of August 1st.
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 Moniteau 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.