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FEMA flood zones · Idaho

Jerome County, Idaho Flood Zone Map

1 flood insurance claims·$0 paid·2 federal flood & hurricane disasters

Less than 1% of Jerome 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 Jerome 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.

Federal disasters

6 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Severe Winter Storms And FloodingFeb 5, 2017
Hurricane KatrinaAug 29, 2005
WildfiresJul 27, 2000
Heavy Rains & FloodingDec 31, 1964

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

Recorded flood events

5 since 1996: 5 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
FloodAug 18, 2024—
FloodFeb 8, 2017$2.8M
FloodAug 5, 2014—
FloodJan 17, 2011—
FloodJun 1, 1997$50.0M

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

From the storm reports

Flood · Aug 18, 2024. A series of thunderstorms from a slow moving upper trough brought heavy rain and localized flooding to the Magic Valley.

Flood · Feb 8, 2017. Strong Southwesterly flow behind a warm front spread heavy rain across most of the intermountain west. Flooding occurred in most of South Central Idaho.

Flood · Aug 5, 2014. Heavy rain inundated much of South Central Idaho over a two day period from the 5th through the 6th. Three to six inches of rain fell across the area causing significant flooding in Twin Falls and surrounding locations.

Flood · Jan 17, 2011. Heavy rain combined with snow melt that caused canals to overflow and lowland areas to flood.

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 Jerome County

If a building in Jerome 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.