19 flood insurance claims·$247,997 paid·8 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 Williams 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 10 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 4 claims and $2,869 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Williams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Dakota flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Oct 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 7, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Apr 29, 2011 |
| Flooding | Feb 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Jan 23, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $800,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2015 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Jun 28, 2014 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2014 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 11, 2011 | $250,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2021. A strong short-wave trough moved into the Northern Plains as a slow moving warm front lifted through North Dakota. Very strong instability developed by afternoon, along with increased deep layer shear. The initial storms occurred over west-central and northwest North Dakota. The main concern with these storms was large hail and tornadoes. Multiple tornadoes occurred over western McKenzie County over a similar loca…
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2015. A variety of weak short waves moving through the region resulted in multiple thunderstorms developing. Initial storms in the mid-afternoon produced multiple funnel clouds, with large hail developing by late afternoon. The largest hail was quarter size, and reported in Ward and Dunn counties. Flooding started to become a concern in the evening as the slow moving storms became prolific rain producers, particularly o…
Flood · Jun 28, 2014. Very heavy rain continued over several days at the end of June. Three to five inches of rain fell from Minot through Sherwood, and from Crosby through Lignite to Stanley. The highest rain amount was seven inches from Renville County. Another high amount was 4.50 inches from Ward County. Damage was extensive. The state of North Dakota requested and was granted a Federal Disaster Declaration as a result of damages f…
Flood · Jun 1, 2014. Slow moving non-severe thunderstorms moved into western North Dakota late on May 31 and continued on June first. Thunderstorms were training and slow moving and resulted in flooding in northwest North Dakota, especially Divide and Williams counties, on June first.
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 Williams 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.