78 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·6 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 Amador County, California. 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.
River and stream flooding resulting from heavy winter storms dominates the flood risk profile in Amador County, accounting for 42 recorded events and 3 deaths over the last 30 years, compared to 3 flash flood events. Recent severe weather includes a strong winter storm in February 2025 that brought moderate to heavy rain and river and roadway flooding, as well as a major winter storm in January 2023 that produced widespread rain and roadway flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A experienced 50 claims with an average recorded water depth of 14 inches and an average payout of $32,163. Properties in Zone X recorded 13 claims with an average water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $24,783. Additionally, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 4 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $18,679, while properties with an unknown zone recorded 11 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $3,815.
Homeowners and real estate agents in high-risk riverine areas designated as Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk, given the higher frequency and greater water depths associated with these claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Amador County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
54 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 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 22 claims and $174,827 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Amador County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 9, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 21, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Caldor Fire | Aug 14, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jan 3, 2017 |
| Butte Fire | Sep 9, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 42 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 31, 2022 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Dec 31, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 24, 2025. A prolonged period of wet weather brought heavy snowfall and strong winds to the Sierra Nevada. Heaviest snowfall was observed from 12/24-12/26 when snow levels came down below the mountain passes. Snowfall measurements over the 12/24-12/26 timeframe were around 2-5 ft per Caltrans, Ski resorts, and UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. Southerly wind gusts of 50-80 mph were observed as well across the Valley, foot…
Flood · Feb 4, 2025. A strong winter storm brought heavy mountain snow, moderate to heavy rain with river and roadway flooding, and gusty southerly winds February 3rd through 5th. Multiple feet of heavy snow were observed above 5000 feet, with 2 to 5 inches of rain observed in the Valley and foothills and southerly wind gusts of up to 50 mph. There were numerous reports of flooding in the Valley that led to multiple search and rescue…
Flood · Jan 14, 2023. A major winter storm in mid-January brought widespread rain, heavy mountain snow, gusty winds, flooding and significant mountain travel impacts. Thunderstorms developed on January 14, producing funnel clouds and a tornado in Sacramento County. Downed trees and roadway flooding were also reported.
Flood · Jan 13, 2023. A major winter storm in mid-January brought widespread rain, heavy mountain snow, gusty winds, flooding and significant mountain travel impacts. Thunderstorms developed on January 14, producing funnel clouds and a tornado in Sacramento County. Downed trees and roadway flooding were also reported.
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 Amador 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.