148 flood insurance claims·$730,695 paid·19 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 Ransom 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.
Spring snowmelt and recurring river flooding dominate the flood profile of Ransom County, accompanied by frequent summer flash flooding. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 26 general flood events and 18 flash flood events, including one flash flood fatality. Seasonal snowmelt caused notable flooding along local tributaries beginning in April 2023. A separate snowmelt and blizzard sequence in April 2019 similarly flooded low-lying areas and roads across the region.
Federal insurance claims data demonstrates that properties situated within FEMA Zone A face the highest concentration of risk, accounting for 76 claims with an average water depth of 15 inches and an average payout of $9,891. An additional 61 claims occurred in zones listed as unknown, averaging 2 inches of recorded water depth and a $2,065 average payout. Properties in Zone X recorded fewer claims, totaling 5 claims with an average payout of $25,570 and an average water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and low-lying areas vulnerable to seasonal snowmelt and heavy rainfall accumulation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Ransom County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
82 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 8 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 1979, with 42 claims and $71,804 paid, the year of Severe Storms, 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Ransom County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
36 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 19 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 |
| Flooding | Apr 10, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Straight-line Winds | Nov 9, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Flooding | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Flooding | Mar 21, 2019 |
| Flooding | Apr 5, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
44 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 26 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $64,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Apr 8, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2016 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2013 | $5,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 21, 2010 | $500 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. Snowmelt flooding along the North Dakota Tributaries began in early to mid-April, with a few locations persisting into early May.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2022. Isolated severe thunderstorms formed in eastern North Dakota during the early afternoon, then moved into west-central Minnesota during the mid to late afternoon. Hail and thunderstorm wind damage were reported.
Flood · Apr 8, 2019. The winter snow melted first on the Minnesota side of the southern Red River Valley. Visible satellite imagery confirmed this fact, showing a distinct snow free north to south band that extended roughly 20 or so miles east of the Red River from Grant to Wilkin to Clay counties. In Fargo, the snow depth fell to zero on April 6th. However, a blizzard from April 10th to 12th brought more snow to the area. This snow f…
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…
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 Ransom 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.