23 flood insurance claims·$206,482 paid·14 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 Eddy 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 Eddy County, with NOAA records documenting 16 flash flood events alongside 10 standard flood events over the last 30 years. These hazards are frequently driven by severe weather patterns, such as the strong upper low and thunderstorms that produced severe wind, hail, and tornadoes on May 9, 2022, or the heavy snowmelt across regional river basins recorded in April 2011.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims occur across multiple zones, including Zone X with 10 claims averaging $8,327 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, and Zone D with 9 claims averaging $19,069 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. An additional 4 claims occurred in unknown zones, averaging $14,034 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone X and Zone D, as these areas have recorded historical claims and average water depths of 1 inch during flood events.
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 1 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 1996, with 5 claims and $66,879 paid, the year of Severe Storms,flooding, & Ice Jams.
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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Eddy County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 14 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Flooding | Oct 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 25, 2014 |
| Flooding | Apr 22, 2013 |
| Flooding | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2016 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2011 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2010 | $500 |
| Flood | Mar 22, 2009 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2009 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 9, 2022. A strong upper low, and the associated negatively tilted trough, led to the development of severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of May 8. These storms persisted into the morning of May 9, producing severe wind, hail and tornadoes.
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2016. Late in the morning of August 10th, an east to west oriented warm front was located across central South Dakota into the southern half of Minnesota. Thunderstorms formed quickly north of the warm front, mainly along the North and South Dakota border. These storms initially produced large hail. However, as the storms pushed east of the North and South Dakota border region and into portions of west central Minnesota…
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2011. Late afternoon temperatures across the Devils Lake region on the 25th topped out in the mid to upper 70s with dew points in the low to mid 60s. As an upper level disturbance moved into the region in the early evening, thunderstorms developed quickly and produced hail and heavy rain.
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2011. Early in the morning of the 23rd, a squall line moved from central North Dakota, across the Fargo Moorhead area, and into portions of west central Minnesota. It was another warm and muggy night, with dew points still in the low 70s across southeast North Dakota and west central Minnesota. This set up a good instability and moisture gradient from Bismarck (ND) to Aberdeen (SD) into west central Minnesota. The main…
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 Eddy 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.