16 flood insurance claims·$79,258 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 Humboldt County, Nevada. 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 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 1984, with 12 claims and $60,204 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Humboldt County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nevada flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 5, 2017 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Jan 6, 2005 |
| Record And/or Near Record Snow | Dec 29, 2004 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Feb 15, 1986 |
| Drought | Jun 11, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 11, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 14, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2017 | $3.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 4, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2013 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 11, 2023. A Multi-Day Warm-Up with temperatures in the 60s, and mid 70s (first 70 degree day of the year) caused melting of mid levels and some mountain level snow. This caused flooding to occur.
Flood · Apr 10, 2023. A Multi-Day Warm-Up with temperatures in the 60s, and mid 70s (first 70 degree day of the year) caused melting of mid levels and some mountain level snow. This caused flooding to occur.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2023. A cutoff low produced multiple days of heavy rain. Hazards that resulted included gusty severe winds, flooding, funnel clouds, hail, and tree damage.
Flood · Jun 14, 2019. An above average snowpack, combined with a wet month of May, produced additional runoff into area creeks and rivers. This slow, but continuous, runoff brought river levels to minor to moderate flood stage.
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 Humboldt 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.