60 flood insurance claims·$1.2M 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 Musselshell 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 Musselshell County, accounting for 26 of the 35 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 9 general flood events. This severe weather pattern was demonstrated in July 2025, when thunderstorms impacted populated areas of eastern Montana and produced localized flooding, as well as in May 2018 when a severe thunderstorm produced flash flooding and widespread hail damage in the Roundup area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that damage spans multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 28 claims with an average payout of $36,285 and an average recorded water depth of 27 inches. Meanwhile, 25 claims are recorded in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $7,116 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X accounts for 5 claims averaging a $27,014 payout and an average water depth of 36 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED includes 2 claims with an average payout of $12,564 and an average water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and Zone X should pay the most attention to this risk, as these areas have experienced claims with significant average payouts and substantial average recorded water depths during severe weather events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Musselshell County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
30 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 18 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 2011, with 28 claims and $915,788 paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Musselshell County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2023 |
| Bobcat Fire | Sep 2, 2020 |
| Flooding | May 1, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Aug 21, 2014 |
| Ice Jams And Flooding | Mar 1, 2014 |
| Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Dahl Fire | Jun 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 1, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Feb 11, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Mar 7, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 28, 2025. A few thunderstorms impacted heavily poplulated areas of eastern Montana, producing localized flooding, gusts up to 70 mph, and hail up to 2 inches in diameter.
Flash Flood · Jun 1, 2023. Isolated thunderstorms produced some hail, but mainly very heavy rain where some flooding occurred across portions of Musselshell County.
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 2022. A couple of severe thunderstorms produced some quarter size hail and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 31, 2018. Several severe thunderstorms moved across the Billings Forecast Area during the late afternoon into the evening hours of the 31st. The most notable severe thunderstorm moved across the Roundup area. This thunderstorm produced very large hail along with flash flooding. A damage survey was conducted which found that a majority of homes and businesses within Roundup experienced some type of hail damage. Damage was to…
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 Musselshell 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.