17 flood insurance claims·$55,508 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 Hill 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 1 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 1978, with 5 claims and $2,895 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Hill County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1986, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | May 6, 2024 |
| Flooding | Apr 10, 2023 |
| Flooding | Apr 12, 2018 |
| Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 8, 2002 |
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 | Jul 27, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 7, 2024 | $1.2M |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2023 | $2.0M |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 1998 | $233,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 27, 2025. A persistent troughing pattern brought in good instability and shear to produce severe thunderstorms across the region over the 3 day time frame with strong winds as the primary hazard. There was also isolated large hail. Anomalously high moisture content and slower moving storms brought localized flooding. A thunderstorm produced heavy rainfall and caused flooding in Havre and in Clear Creek on the 27th. The Havr…
Flood · May 7, 2024. A closed upper level low lifted northeast across eastern Montana on May 6th through the 9th. This low merged with a shortwave streaming from the Pacific Northwest. This storm system brought strong winds across Central and North Central Montana with the highest wind gust measured near Whitlash where a mesonet station measured an 87 mph gust. Widespread wind gusts of 55 and 75 mph were measured. Most damage was limi…
Flood · Apr 12, 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…
Flood · Mar 12, 2014. Southwest flow over the region brought strong west winds to the Rocky Mountains and portions of the adjacent plains. Widespread precipitation was seen over Central and Southwest Montana ahead of a low pressure sytem, associated with favorable dynamics and an upper level jet maximum.
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 Hill 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.