267 flood insurance claims·$6.8M 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 Pulaski 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 heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Pulaski County, accounting for 75 events and 10 deaths over the last 30 years compared to 33 standard flood events resulting in 2 deaths.
Recent regional events illustrate this threat, including persistent slow-moving thunderstorms that dropped 3 to 6 inches of rain in under six hours in July 2025, as well as multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms between April 4th and April 6th, 2025, which produced 8 to 12 inches of rain, significant flash flooding, and river flooding across southern Missouri.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the closest attention to properties located within FEMA Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of local National Flood Insurance Program claims with 203 filings averaging $34,829 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Properties in Zone X, which recorded 47 claims with an average payout of $18,719 and an average water depth of 24 inches, also require careful risk evaluation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Pulaski County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
216 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 18 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 72 claims and $1.7M paid, the year of 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.
38 NOAA storm reports from Pulaski County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Nov 3, 2024 |
| 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 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Aug 2, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| 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.
108 since 1996: 75 flash floods and 33 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 8, 2024 | $25,000 · 2 killed |
| Flood | Nov 6, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 5, 2024 | $2.4M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 6, 2025. With a moist airmass in place over the region, afternoon pulse thunderstorms developed across southwestern Missouri producing localized wind damage and flooding. Significant flooding occurred in eastern Greene County where between 3 and 6 inches of rain fall over a less than 6 hour period as persistent slow moving storms developed over the county. During the period, some locations saw in excess of an inch of rain…
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2025. A very moist airmass led to the development of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall rates during the morning and afternoon of June 4th. Significant flash flooding occurred in and around the city of Marshfield. Additional heavy rainfall caused flooding into the evening and overnight hours with some areas picking up two day totals of 3-5 inches.
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 24, 2024. An upper level low pressure system originated over the Dakotas before pivoting and becoming negatively tilted during the early morning hours on May 24, 2024. An associated surface cold front pushed through the Missouri Ozarks during the afternoon, bringing scattered thunderstorms producing hail between quarter and hen egg size as well as isolated flash flooding.
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 Pulaski 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.