5 flood insurance claims·$6,966 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 Jefferson 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 15 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Jefferson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Ice Jams And Flooding | Mar 1, 2014 |
| Nineteen Mile Fire | Aug 28, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Mt - Central Zone 3b Fire Complex | Jul 24, 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.
7 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 10, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 1998 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 29, 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…
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2023. An unstable airmass with a minor weather disturbance resulted in afternoon showers and thunderstorms, with locally severe weather occurring. Isolated locations also experienced flooding, such as portions of Jefferson County where Milligan Canyon Road was washed out in several locations.
Flood · May 10, 2018. As a low pressure center aloft consolidated over Washington state, isolated showers and thunderstorms developed over north-central and southwest Montana during the afternoon and early evening of May 10th, 2018. This was especially the case over and near higher terrain. One thunderstorm near Havre managed to generate severe wind gusts as the storm collapsed. Lastly, the combination of rainfall and melting snow led…
Flash Flood · Jul 3, 2014. The area remained beneath an unsettled southwest flow. Occasional disturbances fueled isolated to scattered thunderstorms at times.
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 Jefferson 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.