132 flood insurance claims·$690,321 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 Flathead 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.
River flooding and areal flooding dominate Flathead County, accounting for 34 recorded events and 3 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 5 flash flood events. Significant impacts occurred in June 2022, when convective and upslope precipitation brought 2 to 6 inches of rain to lower elevations and up to 10 inches to mountain locations, causing river flooding on the Flathead River that lasted into late June. In May 2020, thunderstorms and snowmelt combined to produce near-historical high river levels. Earlier in May 2016, a low-pressure system dropped 4 to 6 inches of rainfall near Columbia Falls and Glacier National Park, causing lakes and streams to overflow and flood nearby roads and land.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows impacts across multiple zones, led by Zone X with 44 claims averaging a $16,949 payout and 2 inches of recorded water depth, and Zone X_UNSHADED with 33 claims averaging a $6,230 payout and 5 inches of water depth. Zone A recorded 30 claims averaging a $4,688 payout and 6 inches of water depth, while Zone X_SHADED recorded 13 claims averaging a $1,967 payout and 16 inches of water depth. Zone D saw 6 claims averaging a $6,692 payout and 11 inches of water depth. Properties near rivers and in lower elevations should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
61% of Flathead County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
76 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 5 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 1997, with 61 claims and $130,682 paid, the year of Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Flathead County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Jun 10, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flathead Fire Zone-8/20/03 | Aug 21, 2003 |
| Robert Fire-07-23-03 | Jul 23, 2003 |
| Wedge Canyon Fire-07/18/2003 | Jul 21, 2003 |
| Mt - Northwestern Zone 1 Fire Complex | Aug 14, 2000 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2022 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 31, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 22, 2016 | $35,000 |
| Flood | May 14, 2013 | — |
| Flood | May 13, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2022. Periods of convective and upslope precipitation brought areal and river flooding June 11 through June 16. Rainfall of 2 to 6 inches was common for the lower elevations of Northwest Montana between June 11 and June 15. Mountain locations received up to 10 inches of moisture over the same period. River flooding continued well into late June for the Flathead River.
Flood · Jun 12, 2022. Periods of convective and upslope precipitation brought areal and river flooding June 11 through June 16. Rainfall of 2 to 6 inches was common for the lower elevations of Northwest Montana between June 11 and June 15. Mountain locations received up to 10 inches of moisture over the same period. River flooding continued well into late June for the Flathead River.
Flood · May 31, 2020. Thunderstorms passed through the area early Sunday, bringing a half inch to one inch of rain, which combined with ongoing snow melt to produce a near historical high discharge and river level.
Flood · May 22, 2016. A slow moving closed low pressure system tracked from Oregon north and east across northwest Montana into southern Alberta from May 21st to May 22nd. This system most likely tapped into Gulf of Mexico moisture that had been pooling up over the High Plains and dropped 4 to 6 inches of rainfall to the mountains near Columbia Falls and Glacier National Park. This heavy rainfall caused area lakes and streams to overfl…
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 Flathead 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.