82 flood insurance claims·$1.0M 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 Emmons 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.
Less than 1% of Emmons County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
49 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 19 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 2009, with 23 claims and $737,132 paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Emmons County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
26 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 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 7, 2021 |
| Flooding | Oct 9, 2019 |
| Flooding | Mar 21, 2019 |
| Flooding | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 26, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 20, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | $600,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2018 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2013 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2009 | $748,000 |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2009 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2006 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2005 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 8, 2021. An extended period consisting of two days of continuous severe weather occurred from June 7 through June 8. Thunderstorms initially developed along a warm front over the James River Valley into parts of south central North Dakota where strong instability and deep layer shear were noted. During the evening, a mix of wind and hail damage occurred. The largest hail reported during this period was 2.25 inches in diame…
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2019. A surface boundary stretching from southwest into north central North Dakota served as the primary focal point for thunderstorm development in an atmosphere of very high instability. Initially, large hail was the main threat, though a couple of tornadoes developed in an area of enhanced low level shear. Later, storms mainly developed along an old outflow boundary and were slow moving. This combined with a moisture…
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2018. A shortwave trough approached the area and interacted with a surface boundary which led to thunderstorm development during the late evening and overnight hours. Ample deep layer shear and enhanced instability were present. Storms initiated over western North Dakota, then gradually spread eastward overnight. Hail size remained on the low end of severe criteria, with multiple reports of one inch diameter hail. The s…
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2013. Severe Thunderstorm Watch number 331 was in effect during this event.||A surface warm front extending from central South Dakota into the central Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota was the focus for scattered severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 20th. Large hail and heavy rain accompanied the severe thunderstorms over south central North Dakota.
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 Emmons 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.