61 flood insurance claims·$744,053 paid·5 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 Latah 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 river flooding driven by heavy rainfall and snowmelt dominates the flood risk profile in Latah County, Idaho, accounting for 43 recorded flood events compared to 8 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent atmospheric rivers have tested the region, such as an event on February 23–25, 2025, when 1 to 2 inches of rain combined with snowmelt to cause flooding in Moscow, with Paradise Creek cresting at 11.21 feet and the Palouse River near Potlatch cresting at 17.22 feet. A heavy rain and snowmelt combination in late February and early March of 2022 similarly produced strong river responses across the region. Flash flooding also occurs, demonstrated on May 16, 2023, when heavy rain south of Moscow caused a washout on a portion of Sand Road.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 45 claims with an average payout of $14,874 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Zone X recorded 10 claims with an average payout of $19,243 and an average water depth of 21 inches, while shaded Zone X recorded 3 claims averaging $9,311 with a 10-inch average depth, unshaded Zone X recorded 2 claims averaging $0 with a 1-inch average depth, and an unknown zone recorded 1 claim averaging $1,351 with 0 inches of recorded depth. Homeowners and real estate agents near rivers, creeks, and low-lying areas should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Latah County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
50 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 11 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 1996, with 21 claims and $206,328 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides.
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.
20 NOAA storm reports from Latah County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Gwen Fire | Jul 25, 2024 |
| Texas Fire | Jul 15, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 7, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 6, 2017 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Landslides | Nov 16, 1996 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 6, 1996 |
| Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens | May 22, 1980 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
51 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 43 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2023 | $250 |
| Flood | Dec 26, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 3, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2020 | $10,000 |
| Flood | May 17, 2020 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 23, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through the region on February 23-25. Many locations across the Lower Idaho Panhandle received rain amounts 1 to 2 inches over the period. The rain combined with snow melt in the area leading to several reports of flooding around Worley, Moscow, and Plummer areas. The Palouse River near Potlatch crested at 17.22 feet. The Paradise Creek in Moscow crested at 11.21 feet.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2023. A band of heavy set up in Western Latah County, South of Moscow. It caused a portion of Sand Road to washout.
Flood · Dec 26, 2022. Rain amounts near an inch and melting snow caused flooding issues in the area including Paradise Creek in Moscow.
Flood · Jun 12, 2022. Another trough system brought a round of slow moving stratiform slow moving showers. With the abundant amount of precipitation from earlier in the month, the streams and creeks were already near bank full. The additional 1 inch of precipitation starting to create problems for low lying areas in the Southeast WA and Lower ID Panhandle.
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 Latah 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.