12 flood insurance claims·$93,357 paid·3 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 Vernon 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 intense storm systems dominates the flood risk profile in Vernon County, Missouri, accounting for 81 of the 120 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 39 standard floods and 1 recorded fatality.
Recent history highlights this recurring threat. A strong storm system on April 20, 2025, brought heavy rain on top of saturated ground from earlier in the week, pushing multiple area rivers to minor and moderate flood stages. Just weeks later, another severe system from the afternoon of May 19, 2025, into the overnight hours dropped 1 to 5 inches of rainfall alongside tornadoes and wind damage, resulting in localized flash flooding, areal flooding, and river flooding.
Property owners and real estate professionals should pay the closest attention to areas vulnerable to these intense runoff events. National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties in Zone A have experienced flood claims averaging an average of 2 inches of recorded water depth with average payouts of $10,373, making properties near rivers and designated flood zones particularly important to monitor for potential flood damage.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 1994, with 5 claims and $50,274 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Vernon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 23, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 2025 |
| 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 | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
120 since 1996: 81 flash floods and 39 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 20, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 27, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 20, 2025. A strong storm system moved through the area on Sunday April 20th, 2025. This system brought tornadoes, damaging wind, large hail and heavy rain. The heavy rainfall led to flooding as the area had already received heavy rainfall from storms earlier in the week. Multiple area rivers reached minor to moderate flood stage due to heavy runoff.
Flood · May 19, 2025. A strong storm system pushed into the area during the afternoon of May 19, 2025 and persisted into the evening and overnight hours.�� This system produced 8 tornadoes across the area, along with widespread wind damage and between 1 and 5 inches of rainfall.�� The intense rainfall led to some localized flash flooding, areal flooding and river flooding.
Flash Flood · May 19, 2025. A strong storm system pushed into the area during the afternoon of May 19, 2025 and persisted into the evening and overnight hours.�� This system produced 8 tornadoes across the area, along with widespread wind damage and between 1 and 5 inches of rainfall.�� The intense rainfall led to some localized flash flooding, areal flooding and river flooding.
Flood · Jun 6, 2025. A round of showers and thunderstorms occurred during the late night hours of June 5th through the morning hours of June 6th. A line of thunderstorms moved into the area from the southwest and caused damaging winds and a tornado. Additional rainfall on June 7th caused flash flooding occurred due to saturated soils.
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 Vernon 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.