Enter any address in Garfield County, Oklahoma to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Garfield County. Between 2000 and 2020, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 40 flash flood events and 9 flood events. Recent examples include widespread thunderstorm activity on September 20, 2020, and a significant severe weather outbreak on May 6, 2024, which brought flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that while Zone A areas have the highest number of claims, properties in Zone X (unshaded) and Zone X (shaded) have also experienced flooding. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X (unshaded) and Zone X (shaded) areas, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
12 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Garfield County, Oklahoma has recorded 49 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 40 flash floods and 9 river or area floods. The county has received 25 federal disaster declarations, 2 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2021)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Ice Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Severe Ice Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Ice Storm | Oct 26, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 7, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Severe Ice Storm | Nov 27, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Severe Storm | Feb 24, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Jan 28, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Nov 8, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 8, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 8, 2024 | 25.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 21, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2019 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Sep 20, 2025
Widespread daytime and evening thunderstorm activity impacted the WFO Norman Forecast Area on the 20th. This activity was influenced by two factors: 1.) a weak surface low and associated front, and 2.) a remnant mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) across the Red River Valley. Despite relatively weak wind shear across most of the area, slightly stronger daytime instability across the former regime...
Flash Flood — May 25, 2024
A severe weather outbreak impacted portions of western Oklahoma and western-north Texas during the afternoon into evening of the 25th. At upper levels, a high-amplitude trough passed across the Plains during the day, with a focused jet ejection across portions of the Texas Panhandle/Oklahoma. The combination of strong dynamics/kinematics, locally extreme instability (objective analysis depictio...
Flash Flood — Nov 8, 2024
A vorticity maxima, embedded within a broader closed upper low along the Great Divide, rotated out across the Southern High Plains on the 8th. Widespread showers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall across portions of the area that, combined with heavy rains during prior days, led to a few reports of urban and stream flooding across the region.
Flood — Nov 8, 2024
A vorticity maxima, embedded within a broader closed upper low along the Great Divide, rotated out across the Southern High Plains on the 8th. Widespread showers and thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall across portions of the area that, combined with heavy rains during prior days, led to a few reports of urban and stream flooding across the region.
Flash Flood — May 6, 2024
A significant severe weather outbreak, including ten (10) tornadoes, impacted northern and central portions of the WFO Norman Forecast Area during the evening of the 6th into the early morning hours of the 7th. The synoptic pattern across the western half of the Continental United States favored a significant severe weather episode across the region, with a powerful (110-120 knot) upper-level j...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Garfield County, Oklahoma:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Garfield County, Oklahoma that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.