3 flood insurance claims·$8,395 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 Boundary 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.
Boundary County experiences flood risk dominated by standard river and stream flooding, with 18 flood events and 3 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Atmospheric rivers, warm weather systems, and spring snowmelt drive much of this activity. For example, a December 2025 atmospheric river brought heavy rains, snow melt, and flooding, while spring snowmelt caused the Moyie River to reach minor flood levels in May 2018, inundating fields and lowlands. Flash flooding also occurs, such as in May 2023 when a slow-moving thunderstorm dropped heavy rain on the Russell Mountain Burn Scar and washed out area roads.
National Flood Insurance Program records show limited historical claims, consisting of two claims in Zone A with an average payout of $8,395 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, and one claim in Zone X with a $0 payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties near rivers, streams, and low-lying areas in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risks driven by seasonal snowmelt and heavy winter and spring precipitation.
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 2 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 2002, with 1 claims and $8,395 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Boundary County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 6, 2017 |
| Severe Storm And Straight-line Wind | Nov 17, 2015 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/mud Slides, Flooding | Mar 14, 1997 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Landslides | Nov 16, 1996 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 6, 1996 |
| Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens | May 22, 1980 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | Jan 25, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 18 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 10, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2023 | $500 |
| Flood | May 7, 2018 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Dec 9, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jan 11, 2014 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Mar 5, 2014 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Mar 30, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 10, 2025. An atmospheric river brought heavy rains to the Central Idaho Panhandle December 10 and 11. Areas saw 48 hour rain amounts of 2 to 4 inches. The rain combined with snow melt and led to several flooding and landslide incidents. An embedded cold front brought high winds up to 60 mph to the region causing downed trees and power lines.
Flash Flood · May 21, 2023. A slow moving thunderstorm brought heavy rain to the Russell Mountain Burn Scar. The rain and snow melt washed out area road.
Flood · May 7, 2018. Spring time snow melt caused the Moyie River to achieve and maintain a minor flood level through the second and third weeks of May. No structures were flooded at this level but fields and unpopulated low lands near the river were inundated.
Flood · Dec 9, 2015. An intense surface low pressure system moved from west to east along the Southern British Columbia border and dragged a cold front through as well. The resulting high winds brought about substantial damage across North Idaho. In addition heavy rain over the two days preceding and occurring with the windstorm brought about river rises, mudslides, and debris flows.
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 Boundary 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.