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 McCone 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in McCone County, Montana. Over a recent thirty-year period recorded by the NOAA Storm Events Database, the county experienced 16 flash flood events alongside 9 general flood events.
Severe weather patterns drive these incidents. For example, a low-pressure system and unstable atmosphere produced heavy rainfall that caused road washouts on May 26, 2018. Flash flooding also occurred on July 7, 2019, driven by a large low-pressure system and thunderstorms moving through northeast Montana. Additionally, seasonal hazards occur, such as the event on March 22, 2019, when spring snowmelt combined with rainfall and ice jams to push rivers and creeks above flood stage.
Property owners and real estate agents near rivers, creeks, and low-lying roads should pay the most attention to these recurring flash flood and seasonal river flood hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2 NOAA storm reports from McCone County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1986, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Straight-line Winds | Jun 10, 2021 |
| Flooding | Mar 20, 2019 |
| Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Oct 31, 2000 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Sep 25, 1986 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 31, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 20, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 22, 2019. Spring season snow melt combined with additional rainfall and ice jams along area rivers, to rise the level of many creeks and rivers above flood stage across northeast Montana through the last several days of March.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2019. A large low pressure system from the west, with many smaller-scale disturbances combined with a very unstable atmosphere, to allow several strong to severe thunderstorms to develop and move eastward through northeast Montana.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2018. A cold front extending from a surface low over Saskatchewan, combined with a strong low pressure trough over northeast Montana amid a very unstable atmosphere to produce numerous thunderstorms, some of which became severe. Later in the evening, some of these storms merged together, produced strong winds as they departed Montana. In addition, heavy rain, caused a few roads to wash out.
Flood · May 31, 2013. A prolonged period of enhanced surface mosture streaming into eastern Montana from east to west combined with a short-wave disturbance to produce high rainfall rates across the area over multiple days.
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 McCone 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.