81 flood insurance claims·$687,550 paid·4 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 Josephine County, Oregon. 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.
Riverine flooding from heavy precipitation dominates Josephine County, supported by NOAA Storm Events Database records showing 16 floods compared to 4 flash floods over the last 30 years. Historical events illustrate this pattern, such as the January 2012 incident when very heavy and sustained precipitation caused widespread flooding across Southwest Oregon. Similarly, the December 2005 event caused both the Rogue River at Grants Pass and the Applegate River at Wilderville to exceed their established flood stages.
Federal insurance claims data indicates that property owners located within FEMA Flood Zone A should pay the most attention, accounting for 53 claims with an average payout of $16,817 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties in Zone X_SHADED also experience significant impacts, averaging 20 inches of recorded water depth across 6 claims with an average payout of $18,017.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Josephine County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
66 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 11 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 30 claims and $335,262 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.
24 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Mar 13, 2025 |
| Slater Fire | Sep 9, 2020 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Hugo Road Fire | Sep 2, 2018 |
| Garner Fire Complex | Jul 18, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Dec 14, 2016 |
| Gold Canyon Fire | Aug 30, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 17, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Dec 14, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Mar 30, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Nov 29, 2012 | $4.0M |
| Flood | Nov 19, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Jan 19, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Dec 30, 2005 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 17, 2016. Heavy rain brought flooding to some areas of southwest Oregon.
Flood · Dec 14, 2016. Heavy rain brought some areal flooding to parts of southwest Oregon.
Flood · Feb 6, 2015. Heavy rain brought flooding to portions of Coos, Curry, Josephine, and Jackson Counties.
Flood · Mar 30, 2012. Heavy rain brought another round of areal flooding to southwest Oregon.
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 Josephine 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.