17 flood insurance claims·$39,668 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 Bonneville 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.
Regular flooding from seasonal runoff and storms dominates Bonneville County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 14 floods and 6 flash floods over the last 30 years. Specific recorded incidents include an extensive snow melt and runoff event in May 2023 that washed away one lane of Bear Creek Road in Swan Valley and collapsed a roadway near Calamity Campground. Additionally, heavy rainfall from a thunderstorm in August 2022 dropped up to an inch of rain in the Idaho Falls area, causing widespread nuisance street and parking lot flooding.
Federal insurance records show that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $12,483 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $1,411 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $807 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X_SHADED recorded 1 claim with a $0 payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in unshaded Zone X areas, which saw the highest average claim payouts and water depths, should pay the most attention to potential flood risks alongside those near waterways and runoff areas.
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 3 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 2015, with 2 claims and $1,540 paid, the year of Severe Storm and Straight-line Wind.
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 Bonneville County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Henrys Creek Fire | Aug 21, 2016 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/mud Slides, Flooding | Mar 14, 1997 |
| Dam Collapse, Flooding | Jun 6, 1976 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Dec 31, 1964 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 11, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2023 | $800,000 |
| Flood | May 16, 2023 | $35,000 |
| Flood | Aug 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jul 31, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 11, 2025. Minor runoff and sheet flooding west of Idaho Falls along Highway 20 and through Madison County.
Flash Flood · May 23, 2023. Widespread severe weather with strong winds, large hail, and very heavy rains occurred on the 23rd in the Snake River Plain.
Flood · May 16, 2023. One lane of Bear Creek Road in Swan Valley washed away due to extensive runoff and snow melt. Water flowing under the roadway caused the one lane collapse. It eliminated access to Calamity Campground. The collapse occurred on May 17th.
Flood · Aug 6, 2022. Heavy rain fell from a thunderstorm causing extensive nuisance street and parking lot flooding in the Idaho Falls area. Generally 0.70 to just over an inch of rain fell in the 4 to 5 pm MDT period causing the flooding.
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 Bonneville 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.