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FEMA flood zones · Idaho

Bear Lake County, Idaho Flood Zone Map

Less than 1% of Bear Lake County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Bear Lake 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 their words

2 NOAA storm reports from Bear Lake County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →

Federal disasters

4 federal disaster declarations since 1977.

DisasterBegan
Hurricane KatrinaAug 29, 2005
DroughtMay 5, 1977

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

9 since 1996: 1 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
Flash FloodJun 17, 2018—
FloodFeb 5, 2017$808,000
FloodApr 4, 2017—
FloodMay 1, 2017$55,000
FloodMar 1, 2017$135,000
FloodJun 1, 2017$10,000
FloodMay 1, 2011—
FloodJun 1, 2011—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Flash Flood · Jun 17, 2018. Flooding with heavy rain and large hail was reported in Fremont, Madison, and Bear Lake Counties.

Flood · Feb 5, 2017. A trend toward above normal temperatures in February after extreme snowfall amounts in both December and January led to extensive flooding issues during the entirety of the month. The brunt of the flooding occurred in Cassia, Minidoka, Jefferson, Lincoln and Bingham Counties but all counties did receive at least minor flooding. The floding began February 4th and continued to affect low lying areas until the end…

Flood · Apr 4, 2017. Some flooding continued throughout the month but not as severe as previous months or the future river flooding in May and June.

Flood · May 1, 2017. Winter snow melt continued from record winter snowfall and flooding continued throughout much of May in much of southeast Idaho especially in the central mountains and along the Big Wood River.

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Bear Lake County

If a building in Bear Lake 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.