27 flood insurance claims·$243,625 paid·4 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 Fergus 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.
Flash flooding and river flooding from heavy rainfall events dominate the flood profile of Fergus County. Over a 30-year period, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 11 floods and 5 flash floods. Notable recent events include June 2023, when heavy rain caused severe flash flooding that washed out Casino Creek south of Lewistown in at least two locations and required significant road repairs, alongside river flooding in areas south of Lewistown.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 13 claims with an average payout of $14,582 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $19,620 and an average water depth of 3 inches. Additionally, Zone UNKNOWN logged 6 claims with an average payout of $2,727 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $35,267 and an average water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located near creeks, streams, and rivers, as well as those situated within mapped Zone A and Zone X flood zones where past claims and historical high waters have been documented.
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 2 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 14 claims and $198,335 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Fergus County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | May 6, 2024 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2023 |
| Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | Feb 24, 1986 |
| Rains, Showmelt, Storms & Flooding | Jun 28, 1975 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2023 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Jun 2, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2023. Several rounds of rain and thunderstorms affected much of Montana during the first half of June. Flash flooding occurred across portions of the region, especially across Fergus County as well as the Rocky Mountains. Fergus County was hit exceptionally hard as several days of occasional heavy rain exasperated area creeks and streams. Casino Creek, located south of Lewistown, was washed out in at least two locations…
Flood · Jun 2, 2023. June began with river flooding along Clear Creek near Chinook, which reached Major Flood Stage for the second time this spring. In fact, Clear Creek recorded its third highest crest on record, as of writing. Fergus County, especially locations south of Lewistown, also experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall. Elsewhere, isolated severe thunderstorms occurred as a spring-like storm system moved across the area.
Flood · Jun 27, 2019. A line of showers and thunderstorms develops east of the Southern Rocky Mountain Front and moves northeastward. These storms move into a moist environment with good jet dynamics, wind shear, and instability. A severe thunderstorm watch is issued for much of the CWA. Heavy downpours of rain are forecast to cause some localized flooding.
Flood · Mar 26, 2019. Warm temperatures lead to snow melt and runoff across the region, but most notably over the plains of North Central Montana. With the ground still frozen, ponding of melt water noted in low lying areas. Additional runoff of this melt water into creeks and streams increase the potential for ice jams.
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 Fergus 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.