Enter any address in Tulare County, California to see its FEMA flood zone
Flood events, including flash floods, are the dominant flood character in Tulare County. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 218 flood events and 20 flash flood events, resulting in 5 fatalities. Recent events include localized nuisance flooding reported on March 17, 2025, and February 13, 2025, associated with weather systems bringing rain and thunderstorms.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A experienced a high number of claims with an average payout of $11,946 and an average water depth of 1.8 feet. Properties in Zone X also saw significant claims with an average payout of $11,960, though with a much higher average water depth of 7.1 feet. Residents in Zone A and Zone X, as well as those in Zone X_SHADED which had the highest average payout per claim, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
204 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Tulare County, California has recorded 238 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 20 flash floods and 218 river or area floods. The county has received 23 federal disaster declarations, 8 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1967–2023)
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 |
| Sqf Fire Complex | Fire | Sep 13, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Fire | Aug 14, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Pier Fire | Fire | Aug 29, 2017 |
| Cedar Fire | Fire | Aug 16, 2016 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 25, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Dec 24, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Oct 14, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 13, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 2, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 26, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 25, 2024 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Dec 24, 2024 | 0.00K |
Flood — Dec 25, 2025
A strong atmospheric river moved through California late on December 23rd into the afternoon of December 24th. Very heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds were observed across most of our County Warning Area (CWA). The heaviest rainfall was observed in Fresno, Mariposa and Kern County. Rainfall ranged from around half inch up to four inches in some localized areas. Flash flooding occurred mainly...
Flood — Dec 24, 2025
A strong atmospheric river moved through California late on December 23rd into the afternoon of December 24th. Very heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds were observed across most of our County Warning Area (CWA). The heaviest rainfall was observed in Fresno, Mariposa and Kern County. Rainfall ranged from around half inch up to four inches in some localized areas. Flash flooding occurred mainly...
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...
Flood — Oct 14, 2025
A deep trough of low pressure area slide in from the Pacific Northwest into Central California. The system brought periods of heavy rainfall across the foothills and heavy snow at higher elevations. Rainfall amounts ranged from half to two inches in 24 hours in some areas. Up to one foot of snow was observed in some locations in Sierra Nevada.
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...
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 Tulare 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 Tulare 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.