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 Scotland 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 risk profile in Scotland County, Missouri, accounting for 30 out of 32 recorded flood events over the last 30 years.
Heavy rainfall events frequently produce localized and river-level impacts, as demonstrated in August 2023 when a slow-moving mesoscale convective vortex dropped 4 to 8 inches of rain in under six hours, causing rapid rises on the Fox River near Wayland, stalled vehicles, and several water rescues. Similarly, in June 2021, storms dropped 3 inches or more of rain in an anomalously moist environment, washing out rural roads with several inches of water and rendering them impassable.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated near rivers, streams, and low-lying rural roads that are prone to rapid inundation during intense convective rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8 NOAA storm reports from Scotland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| 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 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Feb 20, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2023. A significant rain event occurred late Friday into Saturday across northeast Missouri, extreme southeast Iowa, and west central Illinois, which resulted in flash flooding and a rapid rise on the Fox River near Wayland, Missouri. A slow moving mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) tracked over the area and brought very heavy rain in a short amount of time. Rainfall amounts between 4 and 8 inches fell in less than 6 h…
Flash Flood · Jun 28, 2021. Early on the 28th, showers and thunderstorms developed in an anomalously moist environment, with precipitable water values reaching up to 2 inches. One large storm developed, producing very heavy rainfall in Scotland and Clark Counties, eventually dying off as it continued to move east. This storm dropped upwards to 3 inches or more, which led to flash flooding in mainly rural area. Roads were washed out with seve…
Flash Flood · May 25, 2019. A slow, south moving cold front and an outflow boundary from morning thunderstorms over northern Missouri and Illinois, combined with a hot and humid environment to produce widespread showers and thunderstorms across portions of eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri during the evening and early overnight hours. Several thunderstorms became severe, and produced large hail and damaging winds. Sever…
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2015. Late evening storms became severe over eastern Iowa the evening of June 24th, as storms progressed south, the hail threat transitioned to very heavy rainfall, and flash flooding. Wind damage also occurred overnight as the storms pushed into northeast Missouri.
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 Scotland 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.