Enter any address in Merced County, California to see its FEMA flood zone
Flood events, including flash floods, are a recurring concern in Merced County. The NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 127 flood events and 6 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent examples include nuisance flooding reported on March 17, 2025, and localized flooding from thunderstorms on January 20 and January 22, 2024.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $30,580 and an average water depth of 2.1 feet. While Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded properties have seen fewer claims, they still incur significant average payouts. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded, should pay close attention to flood risk information.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
113 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Merced County, California has recorded 133 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 6 flash floods and 127 river or area floods. The county has received 19 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 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Flood | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Jan 3, 2017 |
| Severe Freeze | Freezing | Jan 11, 2007 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 29, 2006 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 17, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 13, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 22, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 20, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 19, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 4, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 24, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 21, 2023 | 0.00K |
Flood — Mar 17, 2025
An upper trough and associated cold front pushed through central California on March 17 bringing rain, mountain snow mainly above 6000 feet and gusty winds across the West Side Hills and to portions of eastern Kern County. The precipitation arrived by the morning of March 17 and spread southward through the day. Thunderstorms broke out during the afternoon of March 17 in the cooler and unstable...
Flash 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 22, 2024
Following the departure of a storm which brought light to moderate precipitation to the area between the morning of January 20 and the early afternoon of January 21, a second system moved through central California between the late evening of January 21 and the afternoon of January 22. This system produced three quarters to an inch and a half of rainfall over Merced County and a half inch to a...
Flood — Jan 20, 2024
An upper level trough pushed into northern California during the evening of January 19. Moisture associated with this system produced a period of light to moderate precipitation in central California between the early morning of January 20 and the afternoon of January 21. Much of Merced County picked up between a quarter and a half inch of rainfall while the Sierra Nevada from Fresno County nor...
Flood — Feb 19, 2024
A large slow moving upper low pressure system off the northern California Coast pulled up a deep fetch of moisture of tropical origin which pushed into central California during the late afternoon of February 18 through the evening of February 19. A period of strong wind gusts accompanied the precipitation during the morning of January 19 and the snow level was around 7500 feet for much of the ...
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 Merced 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 Merced 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.