280 flood insurance claims·$1.5M 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 Kern 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.
Prolonged river and general flooding events dominate the flood history of Kern County, California, with 321 standard flood events recorded compared to 134 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. On February 13, 2025, a large upper low-pressure system and trough brought widespread moderate to heavy precipitation, resulting in nuisance flooding alongside downed trees and power lines from damaging wind gusts. Later that year, on December 24, 2025, a strong atmospheric river produced heavy rainfall ranging from a half-inch up to four inches, causing flash flooding mainly in eastern Kern County that led to several road closures.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay close attention to properties situated across multiple zones, particularly Zone A, which accounts for 157 NFIP claims with an average payout of $10,301 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches, as well as Zone X properties, which recorded 49 claims with an average payout of $18,657 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Kern County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
196 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 1998, with 76 claims and $391,931 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.
353 NOAA storm reports from Kern County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
40 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Borel Fire | Jul 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Hilary | Aug 19, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 9, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 21, 2023 |
| French Fire | Aug 24, 2021 |
| Earthquakes | Jul 4, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jan 18, 2017 |
| Cedar Fire | Aug 16, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
455 since 1996: 134 flash floods and 321 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 25, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Dec 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Nov 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Oct 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 13, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 25, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through California late on December 23rd into the afternoon of December 24th. Very heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds were observed across most of our County Warning Area (CWA). The heaviest rainfall was observed in Fresno, Mariposa and Kern County. Rainfall ranged from around half inch up to four inches in some localized areas. Flash flooding occurred mainly in eastern Kern Cou…
Flood · Dec 24, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through California late on December 23rd into the afternoon of December 24th. Very heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds were observed across most of our County Warning Area (CWA). The heaviest rainfall was observed in Fresno, Mariposa and Kern County. Rainfall ranged from around half inch up to four inches in some localized areas. Flash flooding occurred mainly in eastern Kern Cou…
Flash Flood · Sep 18, 2025. On the 18th and 19th, abundant rainfall fell in much of our forecast area due to the remnants of a tropical storm (Mario) that moved over the eastern Pacific Ocean from along the coast of Baja California. The heaviest precipitation was reported in the Kern County desert towards the Indian Wells Valley where around 2-3 inches of rain fell on the 18th. Other locations in the San Joaquin Valley, such as Hanford and K…
Flash Flood · Nov 15, 2025. A prolonged period with significant precipitation occurred on the 13th until the 17th due to a series of systems that brought abundant moisture. Many San Joaquin Valley locations received around 1-3 inches of rain for that period, and the Sierra Nevada foothills, as well as the Sierra Nevada below the snow line, received around 3-6 inches. Snow levels varied from around 8,000 to 9,500 feet from the 13th until the…
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 Kern 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.