Enter any address in Madera County, California to see its FEMA flood zone
Flooding events, including flash floods, have been the most frequent weather-related hazard in Madera County over the past 30 years, with 71 flood events and 5 flash flood events recorded. Recent examples include nuisance flooding reported on February 13, and widespread heavy precipitation in the Sierra Nevada from storms on January 9-10 and January 14, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $16,538 and an average water depth of 3.4 feet. However, properties in Zone X_Unshaded have seen a single claim with a significantly higher average payout of $75,057 and an average water depth of 58.0 feet, suggesting potential for severe inundation in certain areas. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, Zone X, or Zone X_Unshaded, particularly those without a Base Flood Elevation (BFE) determination, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
56 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Madera County, California has recorded 76 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 5 flash floods and 71 river or area floods. The county has received 25 federal disaster declarations, 6 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1969–2023)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Mar 9, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Feb 21, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Flood | Jan 8, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Creek Fire | Fire | Sep 6, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Fire | Sep 4, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Mission Fire | Fire | Sep 4, 2017 |
| Railroad Fire | Fire | Aug 29, 2017 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 13, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 14, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 10, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2023 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
Flood — Feb 13, 2025
A large upper low pressure system and associated trough moved across California on February 13 bringing widespread moderate to heavy precipitation to the area along with damaging wind gusts. Several reports of nuisance flooding were reported on February 13. There were also several reports of trees and power lines knocked down by strong wind gusts as several station reported gusts above 60 mph a...
Flood — Jan 14, 2023
Another strong low pressure system impacted central California as it moved eastward across northern California on January 14. The deeper moisture associated with this system arrived during the evening on January 13 and the precipitation continued across the area until the evening of January 14 when it finally tapered off. Strong upper jet dynamics associated with this system produced a period o...
Flood — Mar 12, 2023
Following the departure of the warm and moist storm which produced widespread flooding across the area on March 9 and 10, another moist system moved through central California on March 11 and 12. While precipitation amounts were generally much lower with this system with most of the Sierra Nevada picking up between 1 and 2 inches of liquid precipitation and adjacent foothills picking up between...
Flood — Mar 10, 2023
A large upper trough off the Pacific Northwest coast pulled up a deep moisture fetch from the Pacific Ocean which spread inland into central California on March 9 and 10. This atmospheric river event produced 4 to 8 inches of liquid precipitation across much of the Sierra Nevada. With this moisture being of tropical origin, snow levels were high and were above 9500 feet for much of this event. ...
Flood — Jan 10, 2023
A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10. This system picked up a deep moisture fetch of tropical origin while tracking rapidly eastward across the Pacific and produced widespread heavy precipitation across the area between the morning of January 9 and the evening of January 10 while the deep surge of moisture moved inland across central California. This...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Madera County, California:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Madera County, California that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.