1,309 flood insurance claims·$31.4M paid·14 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 Santa Barbara 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.
Flash flooding dominates the flood character of Santa Barbara County, accounting for 69 recorded events and 5 deaths over the last 30 years compared to 11 standard flood events. Heavy winter storms drive this hazard, as demonstrated on February 4, 2024, when a strong winter storm dropped 4 to 12 inches of rain across Santa Barbara County, triggering numerous flooding reports alongside mountain snowfall of 1 to 3 feet.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that flood risks extend across multiple zones with varying severity. Zone A leads with 614 claims averaging a payout of $47,546 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 327 claims with an average payout of $52,120 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties filed 270 claims with an average payout of $10,657 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while Zone V properties recorded 24 claims averaging $31,030 with an average water depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in Zone A and Zone X, which account for the vast majority of insurance claims and substantial average water depths, as well as unshaded Zone X and coastal Zone V locations that continue to experience recorded flood impacts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
31% of Santa Barbara County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
931 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 1995, with 339 claims and $3.8M 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.
43 NOAA storm reports from Santa Barbara County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
43 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 14 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 |
| Alisal Fire | Oct 12, 2021 |
| Cave Fire | Nov 25, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 13, 2019 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
80 since 1996: 69 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 24, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 21, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 10, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 30, 2024. The most powerful storm of March brought significant rain, mountain snow, strong thunderstorms and flash flooding to Southwestern California. Rainfall totals ranged from 1.50 to 4.00 inches across coastal and valley areas and up to 7 inches across the mountain slopes. At higher elevations, over 1 foot of snowfall was reported across the Ventura and Los Angeles county mountains. Strong thunderstorms generated gusty…
Flash Flood · Sep 19, 2024. Strong thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall across the Cuyama Valley, producing flash flooding and debris flows across Highway 166.
Flash Flood · Feb 19, 2024. A third, powerful, winter storm brought significant impacts to Southwestern California. Rainfall totals ranged between 2 and 12 inches with the highest totals across southern Santa Barbara county and western Ventura county. With the heavy rainfall, numerous reports of flooding and mud/debris flows were reported. Also, some gusty winds were reported.
Flash Flood · Feb 18, 2024. A third, powerful, winter storm brought significant impacts to Southwestern California. Rainfall totals ranged between 2 and 12 inches with the highest totals across southern Santa Barbara county and western Ventura county. With the heavy rainfall, numerous reports of flooding and mud/debris flows were reported. Also, some gusty winds were reported.
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 Santa Barbara 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.