13 flood insurance claims·$50,957 paid·11 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 Grant 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 21 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 1978, with 7 claims and $9,824 paid, the year of Storms, Ice Jams, Snowmelt & 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Grant County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 11 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Dec 25, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 7, 2021 |
| Flooding | Mar 21, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Oct 4, 2013 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Apr 1, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
10 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2011 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2011 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2009 | $342,000 |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2009 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Jun 6, 2007 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2001 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2001 | — |
— = 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 · Jun 12, 2011. A strong short wave trough ejecting into the Northern Plains, coupled with increasing large scale ascent ahead of an upper level jet streak, brought widespread severe weather to much of southwest and south central North Dakota during the evening hours of June 12th. Favorable low level vertical wind shear increased the threat for supercellular storms and isolated tornados. Tornado Watch number 468 was initially iss…
Flood · Mar 6, 2009. This devastating flooding continued into April, and in some cases worsened.||Western and central North Dakota experienced a snowy winter of 2008-2009. Bismarck, for example, had the snowiest December on record, which was also the snowiest month ever on record, with 33.3 inches of snow in December 2008. March 2009 was the fifth snowiest month on record with 29.7 inches. For the entire season Bismarck ended up the s…
Flood · Apr 1, 2009. Western and central North Dakota experienced a snowy winter of 2008-2009. Bismarck, for example, had the snowiest December on record, which was also the snowiest month ever on record, with 33.3 inches of snow in December 2008. March 2009 was the fifth snowiest month on record with 29.7 inches. For the entire season Bismarck ended up the second snowiest on record with 100.3 inches. A similar scenario played out all…
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 Grant 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.