938 flood insurance claims·$10.1M 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 Pike 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.
River overflow along the Mississippi and flash flooding from storms dominate the flood profile of Pike County, Missouri, which recorded 14 flood events and 14 flash flood events, resulting in 1 death, over the last 30 years. Heavy precipitation systems frequently trigger rapid runoff and high river stages, as occurred during a strong spring storm system on April 29, 2017, that brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms, over nine inches of rain in some locations, and historic flooding along river tributaries. A similar event occurred on May 1, 2013, when the Mississippi River remained in major flood levels along the border of Marion and Pike counties, resulting in closed roads and flooded farmland.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood impacts are heavily concentrated in designated high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 847 filings, averaging a $12,177 payout and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. Properties outside standard high-risk zones also experience occasional water damage, including claims in Zone X where water depths averaged 44 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located in Zone A and near major waterways should pay the most attention to flood risk and mitigation requirements.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Pike County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
890 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 16 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 2008, with 128 claims and $2.8M paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Pike County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 11, 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, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2013 | $15,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2010 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | Jun 14, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 29, 2019. Forecast area was in the warm sector ahead of a strong cold front. Storms developed across the region, some of which produced severe storms.
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 · Jun 21, 2015. A cold front moved into the region and stalled out, triggering showers and thunderstorms. A number of thunderstorms developed across northern Missouri and west central Illinois. Heavy rain from the storms caused flash flooding across the region.
Flood · Apr 12, 2013. Heavy rain caused the Mississippi River to rise to major flood levels at several locations along the Missouri border. Damage was limited to some closed roads and agricultural lowlands. The river continued in flood into May.
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 Pike 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.