31 flood insurance claims·$99,483 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 Bingham 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.
Prolonged riverine and sheet flooding driven by winter snowmelt and warming temperatures dominates Bingham County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 10 flood events and 5 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Significant historical events illustrate this pattern. In February 2017, an extended warming trend following extreme winter snowfall caused extensive flooding across low-lying areas that persisted through March as lower elevation mountain snowpack continued to melt. Later, an extended atmospheric river event in February 2019 brought heavy mountain snowfall and warmer temperatures, causing school closures, mountain road closures, avalanches, and sheet flooding in Bingham County.
Properties located in FEMA-designated Zone A should pay the most attention, as this zone has accumulated the highest number of National Flood Insurance Program claims at 18, with an average payout of $5,951 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in unshaded Zone X areas should also remain aware of potential risks, as these areas account for 8 claims with an average payout of $2,401 and an average water depth of 4 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
31% of Bingham County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 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 6 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 1997, with 17 claims and $79,664 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/mud Slides, Flooding.
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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Bingham County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Feb 5, 2017 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Jul 27, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/mud Slides, Flooding | Mar 14, 1997 |
| Dam Collapse, Flooding | Jun 6, 1976 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
15 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 25, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2017 | $917,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | $33,000 |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2017 | $215,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2017 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2014 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2014 | — |
| Flood | May 10, 2011 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 25, 2019. An extended atmospheric river event occurred for an entire week. Extremely heavy snow fell in the mountains with amounts at SNOTEL sites reaching as high as 5 to 8 feet for the week. Many roads closed through the mountains. Schools closed and some sheet flooding began mainly in Bingham and Minidoka counties where temperatures warmed significantly. Avalanches also occurred in the central mountains with the he…
Flood · Feb 4, 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 · 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.
Flood · Mar 1, 2017. Lower elevation mountain snowpack continued to melt in March and widespread sheet flooding from the snow melt. Although the severity of the flooding diminished from the onset in January and February, the persistence and flood damage continued in most counties.
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 Bingham 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.