754 flood insurance claims·$30.9M paid·2 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 Washoe 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 and general flooding from storm events evenly shape the flood risk in Washoe County, supported by 31 flash flood events and 29 general flood events (including 2 deaths) recorded over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences include heavy monsoon moisture interacting with a short-wave trough to produce widespread heavy precipitation, localized flooding, and strong outflow winds in August 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest volume concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 556 claims with an average payout of $58,237 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Meanwhile, properties outside designated high-risk areas also experience losses, including 112 claims in Zone X averaging $35,031 with an average water depth of 8 inches, 42 claims in unshaded Zone X averaging $80,853 with an average water depth of 6 inches, 23 claims in shaded Zone X averaging $21,810 with an average water depth of 6 inches, and 20 claims in unknown zones averaging $15,666 with an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A due to the high volume of claims, while remaining aware that properties in Zone X and unshaded Zone X also face significant financial losses from localized flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Washoe County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
621 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 8 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 307 claims and $16.7M 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Washoe County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nevada flood stories →
48 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Peavine Fire | Aug 2, 2025 |
| Marie Fire | Jun 10, 2025 |
| Callahan Fire | Nov 11, 2024 |
| Davis Fire | Sep 7, 2024 |
| Gold Ranch Fire | Aug 11, 2024 |
| Sullivan Fire | Jun 11, 2024 |
| Trail Fire | Jun 11, 2024 |
| Joy Lake Fire | Aug 14, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
60 since 1996: 31 flash floods and 29 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2025 | $1.5M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 9, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2025. During the late afternoon and evening of the 27th, intense thunderstorms produced significant rainfall and hail throughout the greater Reno metro area. This lead to several reports of flooded buildings as well as road closures due to flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 27, 2025. A high amount of atmospheric moisture in the region interacted with a short-wave trough, allowing for widespread heavy precipitation. This was day five of an extended push of monsoon moisture that produced heavy rain, localized flooding, strong outflow winds.
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 · Aug 25, 2025. A four corners high pressure continued to allow for a high amount of atmospheric moisture to move north into the region as it interacted with a short-wave trough. This was day three of an extended push of monsoon moisture that produced heavy rain, localized flooding, strong outflow winds.
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 Washoe 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.