5 flood insurance claims·$10,768 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 Mineral 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 11 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Mineral County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| West Mullan Fire | Jul 18, 2013 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Missoula/mineral Fire Zone-08/08/03 | Aug 12, 2003 |
| Southwestern Zone Two Fire Complex | Aug 5, 2000 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ice Jams | Feb 4, 1996 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Landslides | Jan 29, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 1 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 11, 2025 | $4.0M |
| Flood | Mar 19, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2002 | — |
| Flood | Jun 3, 1997 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 1997 | — |
| Flood | Feb 7, 1996 | $700,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 11, 2025. Record precipitation fell as a prolonged atmospheric river event gripped the region from December 6 through 12. Much like a garden hose being moved back and forth, the jet stream shifted the focus of this moisture plume across the Pacific Northwest, repeatedly drenching parts of northern Idaho and western Montana. Between December 10 and 11, 2025, the atmospheric river specifically focused on northwest Montana, an…
Flood · Mar 19, 2017. Due to recent heavy rain and snow-melt, several main-stem rivers experienced minor flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2014. A line of thunderstorms moving north across the Superior produced heavy rainfall and a subsequent debris flow that damage forest service roads near the old West Mullan burn scar.
Flood · Apr 14, 2002. Small stream flooding occurred in many areas of Lincoln County due to snowmelt. Lincoln County Sheriff reported minor flooding near the Fisher River with water across Highway 2. In Mineral County, water overflowed private property near the confluence of Timber and Packer Creeks.
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 Mineral 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.