18 flood insurance claims·$115,665 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 Jefferson 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 15 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 9 claims and $94,213 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 Jefferson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
6 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 |
| 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.
11 since 1996: 1 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 9, 2023 | $126,500 |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 12, 2018 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Feb 5, 2017 | $2.4M |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | $38,000 |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2017 | $435,000 |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2017 | $13,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 9, 2023. The beginning of snowmelt season brought some initial sheet flooding to Jefferson County with road and bridge damage and surrounding some homes Minimal damage occurred to the homes with about 126 thousand dollars of road and bridge damage.
Flood · Mar 1, 2019. Some flooding occurred in Jefferson County closing a few roads, but cooling temperatures eased the issue. Only minor damage occurred.
Flood · May 12, 2018. Seasonal snow melt flooding along with heavy rain caused significant damage to the levee near Lorenzo as it was eroding 500 feet per day. The Snake River and Henry's Fork of the Snake flowed at action stage for several weeks causing the event. Jefferson County declared disaster as it was costing 9,000 dollars per day for seven days. The County used all of their 40,000 dollars for the repairs to the levee an…
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…
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 Jefferson 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.