76 flood insurance claims·$340,091 paid·1 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 Gallatin 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.
Gallatin County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by standard riverine floods, backed by 20 recorded flood events and two flash flood events over the last 30 years. Historical events illustrate this mix, including an April 2023 snowmelt flood caused by unseasonably warm temperatures and rain running off frozen ground into the Gallatin Valley, as well as an August 2021 flash flood in downtown Bozeman triggered by slow-moving thunderstorms that dropped 1.36 inches of rain in 20 minutes. Other notable events include a February 2019 ice jam along the Gallatin River near Logan.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones with varying impacts. Zone A properties logged 21 claims with an average water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $10,495. Zone X recorded 21 claims with an average depth of 11 inches and an average payout of $6,348, while Zone X_UNSHADED saw 6 claims averaging 12 inches of water depth and a $635 average payout. Zone D registered 5 claims with an average depth of 9 inches and an average payout of $14,447, and an unknown zone recorded 21 claims averaging 2 inches of water depth and a $3040 payout.
Homeowners and real estate agents near waterways, in designated high-risk zones, and in lower-rated or unmapped zones should pay the closest attention to these flood risks given the history of snowmelt, ice jams, and intense localized summer downpours.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of Gallatin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
29 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 7 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 13 claims and $63,036 paid.
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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Gallatin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1981, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Bridger Foothills Fire | Sep 5, 2020 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Jun 3, 2001 |
| Mt - South Central Zone 4 Fire Complex | Aug 16, 2000 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ice Jams | Feb 4, 1996 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | May 27, 1981 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jan 2, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2008 | — |
| Flood | May 23, 2008 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 10, 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…
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2021. Anomalously high precipitable water values worked their way into Southwestern Montana, along with weak upper level flow. This combination resulted in slow moving heavy thunderstorms, which produced some impressive rainfall totals in places. For example, a meson site reported over 1.6 of rain, with 1.36 of that falling in just 20 minutes. This lead to some urban flash flooding, with a report out of Bozeman, MT of w…
Flood · Feb 26, 2019. As a prolonged cold spell continued, a renewed ice jam and associated flooding affected the Ennis area. In addition, a separate ice jam and related flooding developed along the Gallatin River, near Logan.
Flood · Mar 6, 2014. A moist westerly flow aloft brought periods of snow to portions of Central MT and multiple highlights were in effect for different portions of the region.
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 Gallatin 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.