247 flood insurance claims·$6.0M paid·5 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 Rogers 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 storms dominates the flood risk in Rogers County, Oklahoma. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 78 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, compared to 9 general flood events. Recent severe weather events, such as those driven by upper-level disturbances and moist air in May 2024 and May 2025, have produced locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. High-risk Zone A accounts for 113 claims with an average payout of $23,922 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Meanwhile, moderate-to-low risk areas have also seen significant impact: Zone X recorded 73 claims averaging $30,153 with an average water depth of 5 inches; unshaded Zone X recorded 45 claims averaging $38,703 with an average water depth of 4 inches; and shaded Zone X recorded 16 claims averaging $12,740 with an average water depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within both designated high-risk zones and moderate-to-lower risk Zone X designations, given the documented insurance claims and property damage occurring outside traditional high-risk areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
35% of Rogers County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
174 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 2019, with 32 claims and $1.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, 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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Rogers County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 7, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 5, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
87 since 1996: 78 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 5, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 23, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2023 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flood | May 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 25, 2025. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed into northeastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of the 25th, as lift increased north of a warm front with the strengthening of the low level jet across the area. Very unstable air combined with strong wind shear to support the development of some supercell thunderstorms. Large hail to golf ball size occurred with the severe thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall al…
Flash Flood · Nov 8, 2024. Widespread showers and thunderstorms developed across eastern Oklahoma on the 8th, ahead of a strong, slow-moving storm system that translated into the Southern Plains from the Southern Rockies. These showers and thunderstorms produced a corridor of locally heavy rainfall in northeastern Oklahoma, which resulted in some flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 5, 2024. Widespread showers and thunderstorms developed across northeastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of the 5th, as an upper level disturbance approached the area. Very moist air in place across the region resulted in some of the thunderstorms being very efficient rain producers. Areas of locally heavy rainfall occurred with the thunderstorms, and some flash flooding was reported in Tulsa and Rogers Counties.
Flash Flood · Mar 23, 2023. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across northeastern Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening hours of the 23rd, as a cold front moved slowly into the area. The strongest thunderstorms produced hail up to ping pong ball size. Locally heavy rainfall as a result of multiple rounds of thunderstorms developing along the slow-moving front, and spreading over the same areas, resulted in some flash flooding duri…
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 Rogers 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.