9 flood insurance claims·$19,923 paid·1 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 Madison 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.
Spring snowmelt and seasonal river overflow dominate the flood profile of Madison County, Idaho, backed by 13 recorded general flood events compared to 6 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy mountain snowpacks combined with spring warming and rain led to severe conditions, including a March 2018 event where Madison County was declared a state disaster area due to extensive flooding. Subsequent spring events also caused agricultural disruptions, such as the April 2023 snowmelt that washed out county roads east of Rexburg, triggered mudslides on 6000 East, and caused a canal side failure near a residential neighborhood.
Federal insurance claims data shows a total of 9 historical claims across three zone categories. Properties categorized under Zone A averaged $6,055 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties in Zone UNKNOWN averaged $1,338 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, while a single claim in Zone X recorded an average payout of $3,800 with 0 inches of recorded water depth.
Property owners and real estate agents in low-lying areas, near agricultural canals, and within designated Zone A and unmapped Zone UNKNOWN areas should pay the closest attention to flood and snowmelt risks.
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 4 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 1979, with 4 claims and $593 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
5 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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.
19 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 11, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2023 | $150,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2018 | $1.3M |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2017 | $148,000 |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | $36,000 |
— = 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 · Apr 10, 2023. The beginning of snowmelt caused some flooding and county roads to wash away east of Rexburg. Madison County closed two roads due to wash out and one due to two mud slides near each other. The mud slides occurred on 6000 East. The roads are in largely agricultural areas. Few homes were in the areas and had secondary means of access to their properties. A canal filled with water and the canal side failed. Water fr…
Flash Flood · Jun 17, 2018. Flooding with heavy rain and large hail was reported in Fremont, Madison, and Bear Lake Counties.
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 Madison 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.