6 flood insurance claims·$13,000 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 Lincoln 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Lincoln County, Nevada. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 77 flash flood events compared to 11 general flood events.
Recent weather history illustrates these risks. On August 2, 2024, monsoon moisture and a weak inverted trough fueled thunderstorms that produced flash flooding. Later, on June 2, 2025, an upper-level low drew moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Alvin into the Desert Southwest, generating severe weather and flash flooding. Monsoon moisture similarly triggered flash flooding on September 5, 2025, while upper-level moisture from former Pacific Hurricane Jova caused flooding on September 12, 2023.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records show a limited number of National Flood Insurance Program claims, with four claims in Zone A averaging a $13,000 payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X shaded and Zone X unshaded each recorded one claim with a $0 payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners and real estate agents in Zone A should pay the most attention to these flood risks, given the historical concentration of claims in that zone alongside frequent summer flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
The worst year was 2026, with 2 claims and $13,000 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 Lincoln County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nevada flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 2002, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 8, 2023 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Heavy Rains And Flooding | Jan 7, 2005 |
| Snow | Jan 6, 2005 |
| Record And/or Near Record Snow | Dec 29, 2004 |
| Nv Wildfire (pioche) 06-08-2002 | Jun 8, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
88 since 1996: 77 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2023 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2025. A push of monsoon moisture fueled scattered thunderstorms, many of which produced severe weather and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 2, 2025. An upper level low pulled moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Alvin into the Desert Southwest, fueling thunderstorms which produced severe weather and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2024. Monsoon moisture and a weak inverted trough helped fuel showers and thunderstorms over the southern Great Basin. One produced flash flooding.
Flood · Mar 17, 2023. A mix of runoff from the storm two days earlier, melting snow, and reservoir releases caused flooding of the Meadow Valley Wash.
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 Lincoln 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.