8 flood insurance claims·$94,830 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 Richland 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 and river flooding from severe summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk profile in Richland County, Montana. Over a 30-year period, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 21 general flood events and 16 flash flood events.
Recent weather patterns illustrate these hazards. On June 19, 2019, an approaching low-pressure disturbance combined with favorable atmospheric conditions to produce strong thunderstorms and efficient downpours, resulting in numerous flash flood reports. Similarly, heavy rains from a large area of thunderstorms moving up from southeastern Montana led to localized flash flooding on May 27, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating risk extends beyond traditional high-risk areas. Historical claims include Zone A with an average payout of $16,098 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, and Zone X with an average payout of $58,492 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED and unknown zones also recorded claims with lower average payouts and minimal water depths. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in designated high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas as well as moderate-risk Zone X locations where severe storms can generate unexpected and costly water damage.
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.
The worst year was 2019, with 2 claims and $32,196 paid.
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 Richland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1997, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Straight-line Winds | Jun 10, 2021 |
| Ice Jams And Flooding | Mar 1, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Oct 31, 2000 |
| Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding | Mar 1, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 21 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 24, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 7, 2025. A low pressure system from western Canada dropped into the area, creating an unstable environment with sufficient upper level wind shear for severe thunderstorms to develop. Some severe wind gusts caused damage to some buildings.
Flash Flood · May 27, 2023. A large area of thunderstorms moved up into our area from southeastern Montana. Although the far southern area was under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, no severe storms occurred over our region. However the storms that did make it up into our area produced heavy rains which led to some flash flooding.
Flood · Mar 24, 2019. Spring season snow melt combined with additional rainfall and ice jams along area rivers, to rise the level of many creeks and rivers above flood stage across northeast Montana through the last several days of March.
Flood · Mar 22, 2019. Spring season snow melt combined with additional rainfall and ice jams along area rivers, to rise the level of many creeks and rivers above flood stage across northeast Montana through the last several days of March.
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 Richland 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.