1 flood insurance claims·$416 paid·3 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 Toole 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Toole County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Montana flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | May 6, 2024 |
| Flooding | Apr 12, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 15, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 8, 2002 |
| Wildfires | Jul 13, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Ice Jams, Soil Saturation | Mar 1, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 25, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2002 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 1998 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 1998 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 23, 2018. A trough aloft and embedded low pressure center moved slowly east-southeastward over north-central and southwest Montana on June 23rd. Abundant low-level moisture and cold air aloft associated with the trough allowed scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop via daytime heating alone. A nearly-stationary cluster of showers and thunderstorms impacted the Shelby area from late morning through early evening, res…
Flood · Apr 18, 2018. A large amount of runoff from the melting of a significant snowpack contributed to prolonged flooding along the Milk River and its tributaries during mid to late April 2018.
Flood · May 25, 2008. A persistent closed low pressure system brought heavy rain to much of North Central Montana. Rainfall of 2 to 5 inches was common over the plains and valleys while rain amounts over 10 inches were reported in the mountains. The heavy rains caused many rivers and streams to overflow their banks for several days.
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 Toole 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.