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 Chouteau County, Montana. 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Chouteau County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1986, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | May 6, 2024 |
| Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ice Jams | Feb 4, 1996 |
| Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | Feb 24, 1986 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 7, 2024 | $194,000 |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Feb 25, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 20, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 7, 2024. A closed upper level low lifted northeast across eastern Montana on May 6th through the 9th. This low merged with a shortwave streaming from the Pacific Northwest. This storm system brought strong winds across Central and North Central Montana with the highest wind gust measured near Whitlash where a mesonet station measured an 87 mph gust. Widespread wind gusts of 55 and 75 mph were measured. Most damage was limi…
Flood · Apr 11, 2023. Unseasonably warm temperatures occurred in the first two weeks of April, with highs near 80 degrees occurring at times. These warm temps, along with occasional rain, resulted in melting of a deep snowpack on top of frozen ground which led to significant runoff into area waterways. Moderate to major flooding occurred along portions of the Milk River and its tributaries. Impactful snowmelt flooding also occurred acr…
Flood · May 29, 2019. A slow-moving low pressure system was accompanied by unusually-high amounts of moisture, periods of steady of heavy rain, and some thunderstorms over north-central Montana during May 25th through the early morning of the 28th. In addition, relatively-high snow levels allowed rain to fall on lingering snowpack along the Rocky Mountain Front, where easterly upslope flow enhanced rainfall totals. Portions of the Rock…
Flood · Jun 23, 2018. A trough aloft and embedded low pressure center moved slowly east-southeastward over north-central and southwest Montana on June 23rd. Abundant low-level moisture and cold air aloft associated with the trough allowed scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop via daytime heating alone. A nearly-stationary cluster of showers and thunderstorms impacted the Shelby area from late morning through early evening, res…
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 Chouteau 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.