108 flood insurance claims·$925,518 paid·6 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 Shoshone 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.
Riverine flooding dominates Shoshone County, supported by 36 recorded flood events compared to 3 flash flood events over the last 30 years. These events are typically driven by atmospheric rivers, heavy rainfall, and spring mountain snowmelt. For example, an atmospheric river brought heavy rains and snow melt to the region from December 10 to 11, 2025, resulting in flooding and landslides. Similarly, spring mountain snowmelt caused the St. Joe River to rise to a minor flood level in May 2018, inundating bottom lands and fields in the river valley.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties situated in high-risk Zone A require the most attention, accounting for 92 claims with an average payout of $11,617 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Additional claims have occurred in shaded Zone X (10 claims, average payout of $3,756, average recorded water depth of 13 inches), unshaded Zone X (2 claims, average payout of $23,803, average recorded water depth of 11 inches), and Zone X (4 claims, average payout of $12,805, average recorded water depth of 0 inches). Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should focus particularly on properties located near rivers and within Zone A.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Shoshone County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
104 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 8 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 36 claims and $637,221 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Shoshone County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Idaho flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 14, 2024 |
| Straight-line Winds | Jan 13, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 6, 2017 |
| Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 31, 2011 |
| Flooding | May 15, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt, Land/mud Slides, Flooding | Mar 14, 1997 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Landslides | Nov 16, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 36 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 10, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2023 | $250 |
| Flood | Mar 2, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flood | May 7, 2018 | $250 |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2017 | $55,000 |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2017 | $80,000 |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2017 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2017 | $385,000 |
— = 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 2, 2023. A slow moving Low brought several rounds of thunderstorms, heavy rain, and flooding from snow melt across North Idaho.
Flood · Mar 2, 2022. The arrival of an atmospheric River, in late February and early March, brought heavy rainfall to the Pacific Northwest. The heaviest precipitation was late February 28th through March 1st. The temperatures associated with this event were warm enough to produce rain (rather than snow), but this also led to snow melt. In the central Idaho Panhandle, this produced strong responses to the rivers of affected areas in t…
Flood · May 7, 2018. Spring time mountain snow melt caused the St. Joe River to rise to a minor flood level during the second and third weeks of May. No structures were affected but bottom lands and fields in the river valley were inundated.
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 Shoshone 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.