20 flood insurance claims·$308,820 paid·7 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 Tuolumne 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.
Flooding in Tuolumne County is dominated by standard river and stream flooding, which accounts for 29 events and 3 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 13 flash flood events resulting in 1 death.
Recent storms illustrate these hazards. A major winter storm on January 9, 2023, brought moderate to heavy rain, flooding roadways, urban areas, rivers, streams, and creeks, while also causing rockslides, mudslides, and mountain snow. Later, a wet system on March 11, 2023, produced widespread roadway flooding, local mudslides, flash flooding, and evacuations, accompanied by severe winds, hail, and tornadoes.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows claims concentrated in Zone X, which recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $33,038 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims averaging $2,717 with an average water depth of 0 inches, while Zone A and Zone D each recorded 2 claims with $0 average payouts and an average water depth of 0 inches. Residents in Zone X and those situated near elevated waterways, roads, and mountain travel corridors should pay the closest attention to flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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 2023, with 9 claims and $95,014 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides and Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Tuolumne County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the California flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 7 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, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Wildfires | Aug 14, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 24, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jan 18, 2017 |
| Rim Fire | Aug 20, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
42 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 29 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 13, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 11, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 4, 2023 | $42.0M |
| Flood | Dec 10, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 14, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 13, 2023. A wet system brought periods of heavy rain with flooding. There was 1 to 2 feet of snow accumulated above 6,500 feet, locally higher on some peaks. Heavy rain fell bringing widespread roadway flooding, as well as local mudslides, flash flooding, with evacuations ordered in some areas. Thunderstorms with large hail, strong damaging winds and tornadoes were reported. Strong winds gusting to 55 to 75 mph brought down…
Flash Flood · Mar 11, 2023. A wet system brought periods of heavy rain with flooding. There was 1 to 2 feet of snow accumulated above 6,500 feet, locally higher on some peaks. Heavy rain fell bringing widespread roadway flooding, as well as local mudslides, flash flooding, with evacuations ordered in some areas. Thunderstorms with large hail, strong damaging winds and tornadoes were reported. Strong winds gusting to 55 to 75 mph brought down…
Flood · Jan 9, 2023. A major winter storm brought strong winds with moderate to heavy rain bringing renewed flooding of already elevated waterways. There was flooding of roadways, urban areas, rivers, streams and creeks, with rockslides and mudslides also reported. There were dangerous mountain travel conditions with snow levels around 4000 feet and 3 to 5 feet of storm total snowfall above 6000 feet. Winds gusted up to 60-70 mph in…
Flood · Mar 4, 2023. A series of atmospheric river systems impacted Interior Northern California through the month of March and produced substantial flooding and wind damage.
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 Tuolumne 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.