7 flood insurance claims·$144,610 paid·3 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 Dawson 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.
Riverine flooding dominates Dawson County, supported by 22 recorded flood events compared to 10 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Local hazards frequently stem from seasonal weather dynamics, such as an ice jam and local runoff into the Yellowstone River near Glendive that produced minor flooding in February 2025. Additionally, spring season snow melt combined with additional rainfall and ice jams along area rivers to raise the level of many creeks and rivers above flood stage in March 2019.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates historical payouts across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $110,015 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $1,390 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $1,932 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $27,953 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Property owners and real estate agents near rivers and streams, as well as those located in designated Zone A, should pay the closest attention to flood risks given the historical impact of ice jams and spring snowmelt.
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 3 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 2011, with 2 claims and $3,864 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Dawson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1986, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Straight-line Winds | Jun 10, 2021 |
| Ice Jams And Flooding | Mar 1, 2014 |
| Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding | Mar 1, 1997 |
| Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | Feb 24, 1986 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 26, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Mar 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Sep 17, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Mar 23, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 26, 2025. An ice jam, along with local runoff into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, helped produce minor flooding in the Glendive area.
Flood · Mar 21, 2019. Spring season snow melt combined with additional rainfall and ice jams along area rivers, to rise the level of many creeks and rivers above flood stage across northeast Montana through the last several days of March.
Flood · Sep 17, 2019. A small, but compact storm system moving through eastern Montana combined with an unstable atmosphere to form strong thunderstorms - a few of which became severe through Wibaux, Dawson, and Richland Counties.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2018. A cold front extending from a surface low over Saskatchewan, combined with a strong low pressure trough over northeast Montana amid a very unstable atmosphere to produce numerous thunderstorms, some of which became severe. Later in the evening, some of these storms merged together, produced strong winds as they departed Montana. In addition, heavy rain, caused a few roads to wash out.
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 Dawson 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.