1,103 flood insurance claims·$37.6M paid·16 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 Ramsey 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.
Standard river and general flooding from seasonal weather patterns dominates Ramsey County, with NOAA records showing 45 standard flood events compared to 17 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Historical events illustrate these conditions, such as the slow April snowmelt driven by above-normal winter snow water equivalents in the Devils Lake and Sheyenne River basins in April 2011, and the persistent wet weather that kept Devils Lake and Stump Lake elevations elevated through June 2011. Flash flooding also occurs, driven by frontal systems and thunderstorms, as recorded in September 2019 and August 2016.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in both designated special flood hazard areas and lower-risk zones experience significant impacts. Zone D leads the county with 408 claims averaging a $44,675 payout and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone X accounts for 360 claims averaging a $67,451 payout with an average water depth of 4 inches, while Zone X unshaded records 245 claims averaging a $78,986 payout with an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone A properties account for 80 claims averaging a $63,259 payout with an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists in all designated zones—particularly those near basin areas, lakes, and rivers—should pay close attention to these historical claim payouts and average water depths when evaluating property risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
75% of Ramsey County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
325 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 4 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 228 claims and $9.2M 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Ramsey County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 16 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 17, 2013 |
| Flooding | Apr 22, 2013 |
| Flooding | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
62 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 45 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2019 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2016 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2011 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2011 | $250,000 |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2011 | $250,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 11, 2025. Slow moving thunderstorms produced flash flooding and hail across portions of the Devils Lake basin.
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 · 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…
Flood · Apr 10, 2011. The winter of 2010-2011 generally brought above normal amounts of snow to the area, but particularly so for the Devils Lake basin, the Sheyenne River basin, and the Wild Rice River basin. By April 1st, snow water equivalents were estimated to be about four to six inches in these areas with about two to four inches elsewhere. A see-saw pattern of temperatures led to a generally slow April snowmelt. At Fargo, the fi…
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 Ramsey 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.