127 flood insurance claims·$757,665 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 Stutsman 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 profile of Stutsman County, supported by 18 flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events recorded over the last 30 years. This risk is demonstrated by severe weather systems, such as the thunderstorms on June 2, 2024, driven by an inverted surface trough and a warm front moving through the James River Valley, which produced tornadoes alongside heavy rainfall. Seasonal moisture extremes also contribute, as seen during the spring snow melt of 2023 when a record deep snow pack and fast melt caused widespread flooding across North Dakota. Additionally, heavy rain events like the August 16, 2014 storms brought torrential rainfall and flash flooding between Bismarck and Jamestown.
Residents in lower-risk zones should remain aware of potential claims, as Zone X properties recorded 66 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $5,054, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 18 claims with an average water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $2,069. However, homeowners in higher-risk areas must pay the closest attention. Zone A properties experienced 18 claims with an average water depth of 6 inches and an average payout of $15,364, properties in Zone UNKNOWN recorded 18 claims averaging 7 inches of water depth with an average payout of $11,983, and Zone D properties logged 5 claims with an average payout of $20,738.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
53% of Stutsman County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
38 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 2009, with 43 claims and $279,521 paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Stutsman County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 16 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Aug 7, 2025 |
| 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 |
| Flooding | Apr 1, 2020 |
| Flooding | Oct 9, 2019 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 26, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
24 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2024 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Jun 2, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2014 | $400,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2014 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2013 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2011 | $45,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2011 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 2, 2024. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening hours as an inverted surface trough, extending from low pressure in western South Dakota, and a warm front, extending from far south central North Dakota into the James River Valley, moved through. The initial severe storms produced tornadoes in Logan County and in Stutsman County. Both tornadoes touched down in open fields and impacted no structures. Both w…
Flood · Jun 2, 2024. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening hours as an inverted surface trough, extending from low pressure in western South Dakota, and a warm front, extending from far south central North Dakota into the James River Valley, moved through. The initial severe storms produced tornadoes in Logan County and in Stutsman County. Both tornadoes touched down in open fields and impacted no structures. Both w…
Flood · Apr 16, 2023. The spring snow melt of 2023 saw many areas of flooding over North Dakota due to a record deep snow pack and relatively fast melt. Multiple counties experienced infrastructure damage due to the flooding. In addition, during the morning hours of April 16, a flood death (direct) occurred as a 54 year old female was driving a 2004 Ford Escape along ND Highway 66 near the intersection of 47th Avenue NE, to the northwe…
Flash Flood · May 23, 2014. Scattered thunderstorms developed across south central and southeastern North Dakota during the late afternoon and evening hours. Some storms became severe and produced large hail, damaging winds, and very heavy rain.
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 Stutsman 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.