102 flood insurance claims·$2.3M paid·5 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 Warren 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 profile of Warren County, Missouri, accounting for 23 out of 32 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 9 broader river floods.
Severe weather events illustrate these risks, such as the July 2022 morning commute when training thunderstorms along the I-70 corridor dropped rainfall rates exceeding two inches per hour, and an April 2025 stationary front that caused flooding and made numerous roads impassable.
NFIP claim records indicate that property owners in Zone A have experienced the highest frequency of impacts, totaling 93 claims with an average payout of $16,347 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $336,335 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, Zone X_SHADED recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $12,481 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $18,627 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals in mapped high-risk riverine areas and locations prone to intense localized rainfall should pay the closest attention to these flood zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Warren County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
98 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 6 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 1993, with 55 claims and $882,605 paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Warren County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 17, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 8, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 12, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2022 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 10, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 26, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 4, 2025. A stationary front over southern Missouri along with ample mid-level forcing, moisture, and efficient rain processes resulted in flooding across portions of east-central and southeast Missouri. Numerous roads across the St. Louis metropolitan area were impassable due to the heavy rainfall.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2022. During the early morning of Tuesday, July 26th, 2022, a complex of training thunderstorms set up roughly along the I-70 corridor in Missouri and I-64 corridor in Illinois. Several rounds of thunderstorms with rainfall rates exceeding 2in/hr affected this area, including the St. Louis metropolitan area, through the early hours of July 26th and into the morning commute. Upwards of 11 of rain fell over the course of…
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2021. A composite outflow boundary extending from the Kansas City area towards southeast Missouri was a focus for new development from the evening hours of June 25th through June 26th. There were numerous reports of damaging winds and flash flooding with this event, as well as a tornado.
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2021. A trough moved southeast through the region, generating a complex of showers and storms. Numerous reports of damaging winds, a few tornadoes and flash flooding were reported with this system.
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 Warren 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.