8 flood insurance claims·$32,243 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 Glacier 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.
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 1997, with 3 claims and $19,242 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Glacier County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 15, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 8, 2002 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | Feb 24, 1986 |
| Drought | Aug 22, 1977 |
| Rains, Showmelt, Storms & Flooding | Jun 28, 1975 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
8 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 23, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2002 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2002 | — |
| Flood | Mar 20, 1997 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 26, 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 18, 2014. A potent low pressure system moved across the Pacific Northwest bringing a period of widespread precipitation and below average temperatures. Rain was seen over the lower elevations with snow in some of the higher terrain. The heaviest precipitation was seen along eastern slopes of the Continental Divide.
Flood · May 24, 2011. Rising rivers, rapid snowmelt and continuous rain prompted the declaration on 5/24/11.
Flood · Jun 7, 2011. Rain and snowmelt. Presidential Disaster Declaration for Montana made on 6/17/11.
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 Glacier 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.