10 flood insurance claims·$419,108 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 Sweet Grass 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 7 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 7 claims and $325,998 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Sweet Grass County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1997, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Jun 10, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Derby Fire | Aug 30, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hobble Fire-08/07/2003 | Aug 10, 2003 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding | Mar 1, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
11 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 3, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 9, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2013 | — |
| Flood | May 20, 2011 | $4.0M |
| Flood | May 11, 2005 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2023. A thunderstorm 8 to 10 miles north/northwest of Reed Point produced heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding that affected West White Beaver Creek. The flash flood created some log jams and took out some fencing.
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2023. A very moist, easterly surface flow advected 50 to 60 degree dewpoints from the central plains into the Billings Forecast Area. In addition, atmospheric precipitable waters were well over 1.00. Steering winds were light resulting in slow-moving thunderstorms. Although some large hail occurred with a few thunderstorms, the main impact was heavy rain and flash flooding.
Flood · Jul 3, 2022. An unstable southwest flow aloft, combined with a strong jet stream aloft and a moist low-level easterly flow, resulted in numerous severe thunderstorms across the Billings Forecast Area. These thunderstorms contained large hail and very heavy rain.
Flood · Mar 9, 2014. After a very cold winter resulting in area rivers, streams and creeks freezing, early March began with some heavy snow followed by a rapid warm-up. This warm-up resulted in snowmelt and ice-jam flooding over area rivers, creeks and streams that continued into the middle of the month. While many areas experienced flooding, the locations that were most impacted by flooding included Park County, areas along the Musse…
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 Sweet Grass 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.