52 flood insurance claims·$1.0M paid·18 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 Nelson 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.
Prolonged flooding driven by seasonal snowmelt and severe weather dominates Nelson County, complemented by regular flash flooding from summer thunderstorms. NOAA records show 44 general flood events and 15 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Notable historical events include major spring snowmelt flooding in April 2011, driven by well-above-normal winter snowpack across the region, as well as significant flash flooding produced by organized thunderstorm lines in September 2019 and July 2011.
Federal insurance claims data reflect varied risk levels across different FEMA zones. Zone D properties recorded the highest claim count with 30 claims averaging $22,765 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Zone A properties experienced 16 claims averaging $29,421 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X properties recorded 6 claims averaging $28,728 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists focusing on property risk should pay particular attention to properties located within Zone D, which accounts for the majority of historical claims and the highest average water depths, as well as areas susceptible to spring snowmelt and heavy summer convective storms.
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 7 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 2006, with 15 claims and $482,034 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation.
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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Nelson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
33 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 18 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, Snowstorm, And Straight-line Winds | Nov 9, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 29, 2020 |
| Flooding | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Flooding | Oct 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 17, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 44 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2019 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2019 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2011 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2011 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2011 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2011 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 21, 2019. By the late afternoon of the 20th, a weak area of surface low pressure set up near Devils Lake, with the warm front extending out to the east-southeast. Temperatures had risen into the mid 70s to low 80s in the warm sector, with dew points in the upper 60s to lower 70s. To the southwest of the low, a cold front extended back toward Bismarck. Just before 5 pm CDT, a fairly solid line of thunderstorms developed alon…
Flash Flood · Sep 20, 2019. By the late afternoon of the 20th, a weak area of surface low pressure set up near Devils Lake, with the warm front extending out to the east-southeast. Temperatures had risen into the mid 70s to low 80s in the warm sector, with dew points in the upper 60s to lower 70s. To the southwest of the low, a cold front extended back toward Bismarck. Just before 5 pm CDT, a fairly solid line of thunderstorms developed alon…
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…
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2011. The 16th was hot and humid with late afternoon temperatures topping out in the 80s to around 90 and dew point temperatures well into the 70s. This created a large amount of instability. By early in the evening, thunderstorms began to flare up again aided by a weak low level jet.
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 Nelson 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.