24 flood insurance claims·$678,570 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 Lyon 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 monsoon thunderstorms and winter rain-on-snow events dominates Lyon County's flood profile, supported by 22 flash flood events and 14 general flood events over the last 30 years, including two flood-related deaths.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. An extended push of monsoon moisture produced heavy rain and localized flooding during an August 2025 flash flood. Earlier, a March 2023 flood event brought strong winds and rapidly rising snow levels to 7,000 feet, where heavy, wet snow combined with heavy rainfall to increase the possibility of flooding along lower elevation creeks and streams.
NFIP insurance claims data shows impacts across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 12 claims with an average payout of $11,333 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X recorded 7 claims with a higher average payout of $77,538 and an average recorded water depth of 26 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $43,224 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_SHADED recorded 1 claim with a $24,891 payout and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X properties should pay close attention to these risks given the recorded claim histories and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 9 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 8 claims and $246,320 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Lyon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nevada flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 8, 2023 |
| Upper Colony Fire | Jun 17, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jan 5, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 5, 2008 |
| Linehan Fire Complex | Jun 26, 2006 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 31, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Jan 6, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 9, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2017 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 26, 2025. A high amount of atmospheric moisture in the region interacted with a short-wave trough, allowing for widespread heavy precipitation. This was day four of an extended push of monsoon moisture that produced heavy rain, localized flooding, strong outflow winds.
Flash Flood · Jul 24, 2024. Thunderstorms brought locally heavy rain and a flash flood potential along with strong outflow gusts through Wednesday. Abundant moisture and instability were present as noted by the 0.81 PWAT reading from the 23 July 1200Z KREV sounding this morning. Sufficient clearing also helped temperatures to climb well above average for late July. Short term high-resolution HREF guidance showed an uptick in PWATs Wednesday…
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2023. Ample mid and upper level moisture that streamed across western Nevada, coupled with summer daytime heating, increased instability across the region that allowed for increased shower and thunderstorm chances (15-30%) that extended mostly south of US-50 from southern Mono County through Mineral counties. These storms were forecast to be a hybrid variety capable of gusty outflow winds up to 50 mph, heavy rainfall, a…
Flash Flood · Jun 11, 2023. An upper low that settled over southern NV/UT encouraged the return of greater thunderstorm coverage during this period with near severe storms bringing heavy rain and flash flood concerns to the region. These strong storm cells also brought along gusty, erratic winds, small hail, and plenty of lightning. Slightly below normal temperatures continued before returning to near normal the middle of upcoming week.
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 Lyon 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.