428 flood insurance claims·$5.6M paid·10 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 Tehama 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.
River overflow and general flooding dominate the flood profile of Tehama County, supported by 64 recorded flood events compared to 8 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Winter storms drive this risk, as demonstrated in February 2025 when a severe storm brought 2 to 5 inches of rain to the Valley and foothills, causing widespread roadway and river flooding, search and rescue operations, prolonged road closures, and the closure of portions of Highway 99.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood impacts affect properties across multiple zones. Zone A has received the highest volume of claims with 265 filings, averaging $17,568 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties located in Zone X have experienced higher severity when flooded, averaging $35,534 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 10 inches across 61 claims. Additional claims are recorded in unshaded Zone X (59 claims, averaging $8,887 and an average depth of 6 inches), shaded Zone X (21 claims, averaging $10,130 and an average depth of 3 inches), and unknown zones (22 claims, averaging $2,358 and an average depth of 1 inch).
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A due to the high frequency of claims, as well as properties in Zone X where recorded flood depths and payout averages have been notably higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of Tehama County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
345 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 1983, with 86 claims and $504,473 paid, the year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes.
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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Tehama County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Park Fire | Jul 24, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jan 8, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Wildfires | Jul 14, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Ponderosa Fire | Aug 18, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
72 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 64 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 21, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 3, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 3, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 2, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 24, 2025. A prolonged period of wet weather brought heavy snowfall and strong winds to the Sierra Nevada. Heaviest snowfall was observed from 12/24-12/26 when snow levels came down below the mountain passes. Snowfall measurements over the 12/24-12/26 timeframe were around 2-5 ft per Caltrans, Ski resorts, and UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. Southerly wind gusts of 50-80 mph were observed as well across the Valley, foot…
Flash Flood · Dec 21, 2025. A series of atmospheric rivers brought moderate to heavy precipitation to interior northern California in the third week of December through the Christmas holiday. A Convergence Zone set up over Redding/Shasta County around 1 PM on Sunday, December 21. Heavy rain fell until around 7 PM, where there was a lull before another line redeveloped and brought additional moderate to heavy rain into the late evening. Over…
Flood · Feb 6, 2025. A cold winter storm system brought another round of heavy snow, rain, rock slides and gusty winds from February 6th through February 7th. Generally 4 to 12 inches were observed above 3000 feet in Shasta County and the Coast Range and above 5000 feet in the Sierra and Southern Cascades, with up to 18 inches at the higher peaks. Interstate 5 closed for about 4 hours at Pollard Flat due to heavy snow. Traffic cameras…
Flood · Feb 5, 2025. A strong winter storm brought heavy mountain snow, moderate to heavy rain with river and roadway flooding, and gusty southerly winds February 3rd through 5th. Multiple feet of heavy snow were observed above 5000 feet, with 2 to 5 inches of rain observed in the Valley and foothills and southerly wind gusts of up to 50 mph. There were numerous reports of flooding in the Valley that led to multiple search and rescue…
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 Tehama 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.