4 flood insurance claims·$9,389 paid·2 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 Adams County, Idaho. 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 4 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 2014, with 1 claims and $5,889 paid.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Adams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Four Corners Fire | Aug 18, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 7, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 2, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Landslides | Nov 16, 1996 |
| Drought | May 5, 1977 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | Jan 25, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 7, 2019 | $403,000 |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Jun 4, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2003 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2002 | — |
| Flood | Jan 1, 1997 | — |
| Flood | Feb 8, 1996 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 7, 2019. An Atmospheric River brought a persistent stream of moisture off the Pacific Ocean to West Central Idaho April 6-10. Rainfall totals of 2 to 5 inches were measured at many weather stations while snow melt added 1 to 3 inches of melt-water to the runoff. Main stem river flooding, flash flooding, and small stream flooding occurred during the event with record or near record crests observed on a number of waterways.…
Flood · Mar 16, 2012. Heavy Rain caused flooding in and around the New Meadows, Yellowpine and Cascade areas.
Flood · Jun 4, 2010. A deep low pressure system anchored in the Gulf of Alaska and a zonal flow pattern across the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West provided the right ingredients for a sustained moisture plume which produced convection and periods of moderate to heavy rain over a three day period causing flooding and flash flooding, and severe thunderstorms across Southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2010. A deep low pressure system anchored in the Gulf of Alaska and a zonal flow pattern across the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West provided the right ingredients for a sustained moisture plume which produced convection and periods of moderate to heavy rain over a three day period causing flooding and flash flooding, and severe thunderstorms across Southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho.
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 Adams 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.