172 flood insurance claims·$973,326 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 Missoula 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.
River overflow dominates flood events in Missoula County, with NOAA records showing 33 floods compared to three flash floods over the last 30 years. Events are driven by seasonal factors, such as in May 2023 when snowmelt and rainfall caused the Clark Fork River above Missoula to exceed minor flood stage for over a week. Similarly, warm weather combined with recent rainfall caused the Clark Fork River to flood portions of the Orchard Homes area in Missoula in June 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located in both designated high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk zones have experienced flood impacts. Zone X recorded the highest number of claims at 97, with an average payout of $5,299 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone A recorded 57 claims, with an average payout of $12,990 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Properties near rivers and streams, as well as homeowners situated within mapped Zone A and Zone X areas, should pay the closest attention to flood risk in Missoula County.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Missoula County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
60 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 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 70 claims and $212,852 paid, the year of Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding.
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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Missoula County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Straight-line Winds | Jul 24, 2024 |
| Flooding | May 1, 2018 |
| Rice Ridge Fire | Aug 28, 2017 |
| Lolo Peak Fire | Aug 17, 2017 |
| Lolo Creek Fire Complex | Aug 18, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Black Cat Fire | Aug 16, 2007 |
| Jocko Lakes Fire | Aug 4, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 33 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 3, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 14, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2018 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 3, 2023. Snowmelt and rainfall created a steady rise for the Clark Fork River above Missoula. River levels exceeded minor flood stage, and remained there over the course of a week.
Flood · Jun 12, 2022. Periods of convective and upslope precipitation brought areal and river flooding June 11 through June 16. Rainfall of 2 to 6 inches was common for the lower elevations of Northwest Montana between June 11 and June 15. Mountain locations received up to 10 inches of moisture over the same period. River flooding continued well into late June for the Flathead River.
Flood · May 27, 2021. Warm weather combined with recent rainfall caused the Clark Fork River to flood portions of the Orchard Homes area in Missoula.
Flood · Jun 3, 2021. Warm weather combined with recent rainfall caused the Clark Fork River to flood portions of the Orchard Homes area in Missoula.
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 Missoula 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.