2 flood insurance claims·$80,850 paid·15 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 Wells 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 and general flooding from spring snowmelt shape the flood risk in Wells County, North Dakota. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records document 11 flash flood events and 6 general flood events.
Recent history includes a flash flood on June 30, 2020, when a slow-moving thunderstorm produced torrential rain in the Harvey area following morning precipitation. On June 24, 2022, heavy rains in northeast Wells County caused flash flooding with water flowing over County Highway 5. Additionally, the spring snow melt of April 2023 caused widespread flooding across North Dakota due to a record deep snow pack and fast melt, resulting in infrastructure damage.
Federal records show limited historical claims in Zone D, which accounts for 2 claims averaging a $40,425 payout with an average of 0 inches recorded water depth. Properties in unmapped or undetermined hazard areas, as well as those vulnerable to intense summer convective storms and rapid spring snowmelt, should pay the closest attention to local conditions.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10 NOAA storm reports from Wells County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 15 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jun 20, 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.
17 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 16, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2022 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2020 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2019 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2013 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2011 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2011 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Jun 24, 2022. Thunderstorms formed along and near a warm front draped through central North Dakota during the afternoon and early evening hours, with many becoming severe. Early in the event, a tornado formed over south central Wells County, north of Chaseley. The tornado impacted no structures and so there was no damage to evaluate, so was rated EF Unknown by NWS policy. Heavy rains over northeast Wells County led to flash flo…
Flash Flood · Jun 13, 2022. Thunderstorms developed over eastern Montana into western North Dakota as a surface trough moved through the area. Although some large hail fell with these storms, strong wind gusts became the main impact. The strongest winds were estimated at 90 mph in and around the city of Martin in Sheridan County, where multiple large trees were uprooted, with one tree falling on a structure and damaging it. The largest repor…
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2020. Multiple thunderstorms developed over central North Dakota as an upper level trough approached the area. Very strong instability was present, but thunderstorms were having trouble becoming surface based due to convection during the morning hours, which is addressed in a separate episode on this same date, keeping cloud cover over the area. One storm over Wells County became very slow moving, producing torrential r…
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 Wells 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.