1,361 flood insurance claims·$29.8M 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 Napa 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.
Riverine and general floods dominate the historical record in Napa County, accounting for 33 events and one death over the last 30 years, alongside 14 flash flood events and 11 coastal flood events.
Recent regional impacts are documented in NOAA storm narratives, including an intense atmospheric river from February 3 to 4, 2025, that brought heavy rain and strong wind to the North Bay, and a storm system impacting the region from December 19 to 25, 2025, which disrupted Christmas holiday travel. Another atmospheric river between November 20 and 23, 2024, caused flooding across the North Bay as a rapidly intensifying cyclone stalled over the area, resulting in nearly a foot of rain in valley locations and as much as two feet in the mountains over three days.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims in the county with 1,162 claims averaging $26,805 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Properties in Zone X_SHADED also warrant attention, showing an average recorded water depth of 7 inches across 48 claims, while unshaded Zone X properties averaged 3 inches of water depth across 80 claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Napa County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,290 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 6 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 1995, with 446 claims and $8.1M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mud Flows and Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow.
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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Napa County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
39 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 9 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, And Mudslides | Jan 8, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Glass Fire | Sep 27, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Sep 4, 2020 |
| Lnu Lightning Fire Complex | Aug 17, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Aug 14, 2020 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
58 since 1996: 14 flash floods, 33 river or area floods and 11 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 22, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2025 | $10 |
| Flood | Feb 3, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 31, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Dec 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 22, 2024 | $10 |
| Coastal Flood | Jul 13, 2022 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jul 12, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 22, 2025. A series of storm systems impacted the Bay Area and Central Coast from December 19 to 25th, impacting Christmas holiday travel across the region. The most impactful systems arrived on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Two tornado warnings were issued for the coastal regions of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties based off radar indicated rotation. San Francisco International Airport reported delays of at least 300 fl…
Flood · Feb 4, 2025. An intense atmospheric river impacted the Bay Area from February 3rd to the 4th, bringing heavy rain and strong wind to the region, especially across the North Bay. The Russian River near Guerneville flooded due to the heavy rain.
Flood · Feb 3, 2025. An intense atmospheric river impacted the Bay Area from February 3rd to the 4th, bringing heavy rain and strong wind to the region, especially across the North Bay. The Russian River near Guerneville flooded due to the heavy rain.
Flood · Jan 31, 2024. A quick-moving cold front came through California on January 31, bringing widespread rain and high winds. A narrow cold frontal rainband (NCFR) developed during the afternoon and evening commute, with moderate to heavy rain across the region as a result. Impacts and post-frontal showers continued through February 1.
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 Napa 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.