195 flood insurance claims·$2.4M paid·9 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 Glenn 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.
Flooding in Glenn County is characterized primarily by heavy winter storms bringing widespread rain, mountain snow, and river rises. According to the NOAA Storm Events Database over the last 30 years, the county has recorded 30 flood events resulting in 1 death. Recent severe weather includes a major winter storm on February 4, 2024, which brought heavy rain, urban and road nuisance flooding, and strong winds, as well as a series of active storms from December 12 through December 17, 2024, that produced heavy rain, mountain snow, and gusty winds.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 150 claims averaging a payout of $10,776 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 18 claims with an average payout of $49,568 and an average recorded water depth of 30 inches. Zone X shaded properties recorded 17 claims averaging $23,116 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X unshaded properties recorded 10 claims averaging $23,256 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated high-risk riverine areas and moderate-to-low risk zones should pay close attention to these flood risks, as significant water depths and costly claims have occurred outside of primary hazard zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Glenn County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
177 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 8 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 1998, with 96 claims and $1.2M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Glenn County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 31, 2024 |
| 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, And Mudslides | Jan 8, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
30 since 1996: 30 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Nov 23, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Dec 14, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2024 | $395,000 |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2023 | — |
— = 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 · Nov 23, 2024. Another weather system brought continued periods of heavy mountain snow with mountain travel delays and chain restrictions, widespread rain with flooding impacts, and gusty winds in the from November 22nd through November 26th.
Flood · Dec 14, 2024. Active weather brought periods of heavy mountain snow, rain and gusty winds from December 12th through December 17th as multiple storms moved through the area. The strongest storm moved through over the December 13th through 14th timeframe and brought over 2 to 3 inches of rain, over 2 feet of heavy snow above 5000 feet, and gusty southerly wind gusts of 35 to 65 mph. Numerous downed trees and thousands of power o…
Flood · Feb 4, 2024. A major winter storm moved in from the south on February 4th, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, thunderstorms and heavy mountain snow through February 7th. Damaging winds brought down trees and caused widespread power outages. Flooding and strong winds resulted in multiple fatalities. Chain controls were observed in the mountains. Heavy rain brought nuisance flooding on roads and urban areas and rises to rivers,…
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 Glenn 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.