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 Pondera 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Pondera County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | May 6, 2024 |
| Flooding | Apr 12, 2018 |
| Strawberry Fire | Sep 11, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 15, 2016 |
| Ice Jams And Flooding | Mar 1, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 8, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
8 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2002 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 21, 2019. Warm temperatures lead to snow melt and runoff across the region, but most notably over the plains of North Central Montana. With the ground still frozen, ponding of melt water noted in low lying areas. Additional runoff of this melt water into creeks and streams increase the potential for ice jams.
Flood · Mar 28, 2018. An ice jam along Clear Creek in Blaine County caused flooding during the evening of March 27th into the early morning of the 28th. In addition, snowmelt flooding led to several road closures in Pondera and Teton Counties.
Flood · Jun 18, 2014. A potent low pressure system moved across the Pacific Northwest bringing a period of widespread precipitation and below average temperatures. Rain was seen over the lower elevations with snow in some of the higher terrain. The heaviest precipitation was seen along eastern slopes of the Continental Divide.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2013. A low pressure system moved into the Pacific Northwest coast bringing a more moist, unstable, and southwesterly flow to the region. This helped generate showers and|thunderstorms over the higher terrain of these areas. The frontal boundary associated with this system moved into western Montana later in the day bringing the chance of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall to the area.…
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 Pondera 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.