136 flood insurance claims·$1.3M paid
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 Nye 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 and tropical moisture systems dominates the flood risk in Nye County, accounting for 68 of the last 30 years of recorded flood events compared to 6 general flood events. This hazard is driven by seasonal weather patterns, such as the monsoon moisture that fueled flash flooding in September 2025, and broader tropical systems like the remnants of Pacific Hurricane Priscilla in October 2025 and Hurricane Hilary in August 2023, which brought major flash flooding and damaging winds to the Spring Mountains.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are heavily concentrated in specific areas. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 130 filings, averaging a payout of $25,291 and an average recorded water depth of 21 inches. In contrast, Zone X and unknown zones show negligible claim activity and payouts.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, where the historical data shows significant flood insurance claims and measurable water depths during high-water events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Nye County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
130 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 21 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 2021, with 38 claims and $615,959 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Nye County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nevada flood stories →
5 federal disaster declarations since 2004.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Jan 6, 2005 |
| Record And/or Near Record Snow | Dec 29, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
74 since 1996: 68 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 6, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Aug 21, 2023 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2023 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Oct 9, 2025. The remnants of Pacific Hurricane Priscilla pushed tropical moisture into southern Nevada, fueling scattered thunderstorms. Several produced heavy rain and flash flooding, and a few produced severe weather.
Flash Flood · Sep 6, 2025. A push of monsoon moisture fueled scattered thunderstorms, many of which produced severe weather and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2025. A push of monsoon moisture fueled scattered thunderstorms, many of which produced severe weather and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2023. Eastern Pacific Hurricane Hilary made landfall on the Baja Peninsula early on the morning of the 20th and reached Southern California as a tropical storm that afternoon. The cyclone brought major flash flooding and damaging winds to the Spring Mountains, along with less severe flooding elsewhere in southern Nevada.
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 Nye 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.