39 flood insurance claims·$465,175 paid·2 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 Oregon 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 dominates the flood character of Oregon County, accounting for 57 recorded events compared to 34 standard floods over the last 30 years.
Recent history illustrates this severe weather pattern. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms between April 4th and April 6th brought 8 to 10 inches of rain—with localized amounts reaching 12 inches—to southern Missouri, causing significant flash flooding, minor to moderate river flooding across south central Missouri, and two flood fatalities in West Plains. Later, on June 29th, early morning thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding alongside severe winds across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located within FEMA Zone A face the highest risk, accounting for 37 total claims with an average payout of $13,455 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. By contrast, Zone X and Zone UNKNOWN recorded only one claim each, with average payouts of $3,089 and $4,617 respectively, and average recorded water depths of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties situated in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness and insurance requirements.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Oregon County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
37 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 8 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 1993, with 8 claims and $225,382 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Oregon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Nov 3, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 3, 2020 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
91 since 1996: 57 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Nov 4, 2024 | $61,000 |
| Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 3, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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…
Flood · Nov 4, 2024. Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms brought severe weather and flooding to southwest Missouri from November 4-5, 2024. A corridor of very heavy rainfall east of Springfield caused several rivers to reach major flood stage, with some locations experiencing record flooding. A total of four tornadoes were also observed on November 4, all of which were EF-0 in strength. Residual river flooding was obse…
Flood · Mar 24, 2023. The most impactful storm system to affect the region during the month of March began during the late afternoon and early evening of the 23rd as strong to severe thunderstorms trained along and north of a front that had stalled over northwest Arkansas and south central Missouri. While the storms produced sporadic wind damage and hail, rainfall accumulations exceeded three inches within a 6-hour period during the ev…
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 Oregon 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.