37 flood insurance claims·$232,773 paid
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 Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. 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 severe thunderstorms dominates the flood history of Alfalfa County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 26 flash flood events compared to only 3 general flood events. Significant episodes include a prolonged series of storms driven by moist air and upper-level disturbances in September 2008, as well as isolated to scattered storm systems that produced flash flooding in July 2016. Severe weather outbreaks also occurred in May 2019, when a large line of thunderstorms followed numerous supercell storms overnight.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are heavily concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 34 claims with an average payout of $8,932 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. An additional 3 claims were filed under an unknown zone, averaging $271 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, as these areas have experienced the vast majority of historical flood insurance claims and measurable water depths in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Alfalfa County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
34 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 5 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 1981, with 10 claims and $6,754 paid.
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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Alfalfa County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1993.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Oct 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 7, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 30, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 16, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Nov 27, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
29 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 7, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Sep 12, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2008 | $1.8M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2004 | — |
| Flood | Mar 4, 2004 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 7, 2019. Numerous supercell storms were followed by a large line of thunderstorms that produced severe weather on the evening and overnight of the 7th into the 8th.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2016. The 9th saw isolated to scattered storms develop across parts of Oklahoma and western north Texas, producing some severe wind and hail and flash flooding.
Flood · Sep 12, 2008. A prolonged area of southwest flow aloft developed over much of Oklahoma during the period from the 10th through the 12th. Numerous upper level disturbances moving through the flow, as well as a very moist air mass allowed for several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to develop and move northeast, much of the time moving over the same areas. Moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell added t…
Flash Flood · Sep 12, 2008. A prolonged area of southwest flow aloft developed over much of Oklahoma during the period from the 10th through the 12th. Numerous upper level disturbances moving through the flow, as well as a very moist air mass allowed for several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to develop and move northeast, much of the time moving over the same areas. Moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell added t…
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 Alfalfa 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.