51 flood insurance claims·$911,289 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 Ralls 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 floods and general floods from severe summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Ralls County, with NOAA records showing 17 flash flood events and 15 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include severe weather systems producing flash flooding in June 2021 and July 2020, as well as training thunderstorms that caused flooding in June 2025.
Federal insurance claims data indicates that risk extends across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 26 claims with an average payout of $23,462 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X and unshaded Zone X have experienced 20 total claims, with average payouts of $29,113 and $17,955, and average recorded water depths of 4 inches and 24 inches, respectively. An additional 5 claims occurred in unknown zones with an average payout of $8,298 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Ralls County should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A and Zone X areas, where both high claim frequencies and significant average water depths demonstrate ongoing vulnerability to heavy rainfall and storm activity.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of Ralls County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
36 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 7 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 2010, with 9 claims and $359,090 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes.
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 Ralls County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
26 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, 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, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Sep 9, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 15 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2013 | — |
| Flood | May 26, 2013 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2013 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 3, 2025. A QLCS moved into northeast and central Missouri during the late afternoon on June 3rd. This feature caused wind damage in aforementioned areas before weakening. Later that evening, flooding was reported in Ralls, Montgomery, and Callaway counties as thunderstorms continued to train over those areas.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2021. An outflow boundary from earlier convection moved southward through region, triggering widespread storms. Some of the storms became severe with numerous reports of large hail, damaging winds and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 24, 2020. As a weak low pressure system moved northeast through the region, some severe convection developed. Some of the storms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 3, 2020. A detached lobe of vorticity drifted slowly south/southwestward across the region. Weak forcing associated with it combined with ample low-level moisture allowed showers and storms to develop. Some of the storms produced heavy rain and 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 Ralls 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.