7 flood insurance claims·$25,382 paid·2 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 Powder River 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 profile of Powder River County, accounting for 23 of the 32 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 9 general flood events.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. On August 5, 2025, a thunderstorm produced heavy rainfall nearing 3 inches and hail up to 1.25 inches, causing a flash flood. Earlier, on July 5, 2019, slow-moving thunderstorms dropped 1 to 6 inches of rain, resulting in water over roadways and flooded basements. Spring flooding is also a concern, as demonstrated on March 23, 2019, when rapid snowmelt over frozen ground and ice jams caused widespread flooding across southeast Montana.
Federal insurance claims reflect limited historical data primarily associated with unmapped or undefined areas. Specifically, the National Flood Insurance Program recorded 6 claims in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $3,933 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, and 1 claim in Zone A with an average payout of $1,783 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners in unmapped areas and locations prone to rapid summer downpours or spring snowmelt should pay the most attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Powder River County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Snider/rice Fire Complex | Sep 3, 2020 |
| Flooding | Mar 20, 2019 |
| Ash Creek Fire | Jun 25, 2012 |
| Wildfire | Jun 25, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | May 1, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 30, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Mar 8, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 5, 2025. A thunderstorm occurred over Powder River County, producing heavy rain amounts nearing 3 inches and hail up to 1.25 inches.
Flash Flood · Jun 23, 2023. A very moist, easterly surface flow returned during the 3rd week of June. Dewpoints were again well above 50 degrees, with many areas around 60 degrees. In addition, atmospheric precipitable waters were well over 1.00. Winds aloft continued to be light resulting in slow-moving, heavy thunderstorms. As a result, several flash flood events occurred across portions of central and southeast Montana.
Flood · May 30, 2019. Several days of heavy rain, combined with snow melt from the northern Big Horn Mountains, resulted in areas of flooding across portions of Yellowstone, Big Horn and Powder River Counties.
Flood · Mar 23, 2019. Flooding occurred across many areas of south central and southeast Montana during the latter portions of the month. A considerable snow cover existed through the month. Surface and sub-surface ground temperatures remained frozen through the last week of March. Warming temperatures resulted in this snow to quickly melt. Widespread flooding occurred due to the snow melt not being able to soak into the ground. In ad…
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 Powder River 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.