5 flood insurance claims·$30,662 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 Teton 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 1 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 1991, with 2 claims and $635 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 Teton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | May 6, 2024 |
| Strawberry Fire | Sep 11, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 15, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | Feb 24, 1986 |
| Drought | Aug 22, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jan 15, 2020 | $250,000 |
| Flood | May 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2010 | — |
| Flood | May 25, 2008 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2021. An unstable southwesterly flow developed ahead of an approaching Pacific trough and brought strong to severe thunderstorms over a three day period. Surface based CAPE routinely exceeded 1000 j/kg as steep mid-level lapse rates above 8C/km were common. Dry sub-cloud layers helped produce strong thunderstorm wind gusts and effective shear well above 30 kts was enough for quarter size hail and larger. The peak in se…
Flood · Jan 15, 2020. A prolonged period of single digit and sub-zero temperatures caused large areas of anchor ice developed on the Spring Creek in the northeastern section of Choteau, which caused up to a couple of feet flood water to enter parts of a nearby residential area and a section of railroad. The impacts from the overland flooding were mostly confined to vacant lots. However, there were reports of basement flooding in up to…
Flood · May 26, 2019. A slow-moving low pressure system was accompanied by unusually-high amounts of moisture, periods of steady of heavy rain, and some thunderstorms over north-central Montana during May 25th through the early morning of the 28th. In addition, relatively-high snow levels allowed rain to fall on lingering snowpack along the Rocky Mountain Front, where easterly upslope flow enhanced rainfall totals. Portions of the Rock…
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.
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 Teton 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.