698 flood insurance claims·$15.3M paid·12 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 Burleigh County, North Dakota. 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 Burleigh County, accounting for 22 of the 35 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 13 general flood events. Recent NOAA storm records illustrate this hazard, including an August 13, 2024 slow-moving thunderstorm that dropped two to five inches of rain on Bismarck, overwhelming storm sewers, flooding downtown businesses and a primary medical center, followed by a second heavy rain event on August 14, 2024 that brought several feet of water flowing through streets and flooded basements on the south side of the city.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A experienced 438 claims with an average recorded water depth of 11 inches and an average payout of $31,907. Meanwhile, moderate-to-low risk Zone X recorded 196 claims averaging 6 inches of water depth and $19,237 per payout. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A and Zone X, where historical claims demonstrate that even moderate rainfall rates can overwhelm drainage systems and cause structural and inventory damage.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Burleigh County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
454 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 9 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 2011, with 556 claims and $13.9M paid, the year of 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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Burleigh County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 12 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Flooding | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Apr 1, 2010 |
| Flooding | Feb 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, & Ground Saturation | Mar 1, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2025 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2024 | $8.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2022 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2014 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2014 | $30,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 14, 2025. A low-pressure center moved north from South Dakota to North Dakota with a warm front lifting to the north. This resulted in strong low-level wind shear over central North Dakota. This shear combined with low cloud bases caused by a high amount of moisture in the lower atmosphere to produce multiple low-topped supercells which produced a low amount of lighting. From these supercells, 20 tornadoes developed over ce…
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2024. Very heavy rain over several hours led to the second episode of flash flooding in the Bismarck area in less than 24 hours. This flash flooding was no where near as severe as the day before (13th) and was concentrated on the south side of the city. Several feet of water was flowing through some streets. Some basements took on water and some trailer homes were surrounded by flood waters.
Flash Flood · Aug 13, 2024. Torrential downpours with between two and five inches of rain moved through the Bismarck area as a very slow moving thunderstorm passed over. Storm sewer and drainage systems in the city were overwhelmed by the intense rain rates. Many downtown businesses took on water, resulting in damaged inventory along with business losses due to inaccessibility and time taken to recover. One of the primary medical centers in…
Flash Flood · Aug 23, 2022. Severe weather developed over central into parts of western North Dakota in an environment of enhanced instability and marginal deep layer shear. Many crops were damaged as hail combined with strong wind gusts. The strongest reported wind gust was 76 mph in Mountrail County, while the largest hail was one inch in diameter and occurred with several of the storms in Oliver, McLean, and Mountrail counties. Later in t…
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 Burleigh 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.