3,114 flood insurance claims·$75.5M paid·24 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 Grand Forks 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 history of Grand Forks County, ND, accounting for 54 events and 2 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 26 general flood events resulting in 1 death. Recent occurrences include isolated flash flooding caused by thunderstorms in July 2024, and heavy rainfall producing flash flooding from thunderstorm clusters in August 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that high-risk Zone A properties experienced the highest claim volume with 1,472 claims, averaging a $34,392 payout and an average recorded water depth of 21 inches. Moderate-to-low risk areas also face significant exposure, with Zone X_SHADED recording 816 claims averaging a $20,338 payout and an average water depth of 23 inches, and Zone X recording 720 claims averaging a $22,924 payout and an average water depth of 22 inches. Additionally, Zone UNKNOWN recorded 95 claims with an average payout of $6,538 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $3,002 and an average water depth of 34 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in Zone A and shaded or unshaded Zone X areas should pay the closest attention to these historical flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
36% of Grand Forks County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,294 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 20 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 1997, with 2,293 claims and $70.7M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms and Blizzard Conditions and Severe Flooding,severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring Rains.
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.
20 NOAA storm reports from Grand Forks County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
38 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 24 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Aug 7, 2025 |
| Flooding | Apr 10, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 29, 2020 |
| Flooding | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Flooding | Oct 9, 2019 |
| Flooding | Mar 21, 2019 |
| Flooding | Apr 22, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
80 since 1996: 54 flash floods and 26 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2024 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2023 | $1.0M |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2022 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2021 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2025. Severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening on the Independence Day Federal Holiday resulted in damaging wind gusts across eastern North Dakota and localized street flooding in Fargo, ND.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2024. An 850mb jet aided in the development of thunderstorm clusters in the morning hours of August 29th. Wind was the main threat, with some reports of flash flooding from heavy rainfall.
Flood · Jul 4, 2024. Isolated Flash Flooding occurred in Grand Forks county, ND in the evening. The cause was thunderstorms over the area.
Flood · Apr 18, 2023. Spring snowmelt flooding began in mid to late April in most locations, then persisted into early May.
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 Grand Forks 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.