10 flood insurance claims·$207,434 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 Klamath 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.
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 5 claims and $176,721 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Klamath County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Copperfield Fire | Sep 1, 2024 |
| Golden Fire | Jul 22, 2023 |
| Bootleg Fire | Jul 10, 2021 |
| Wildfires | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Two Four Two Fire | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Pipeline Fire | Aug 3, 2017 |
| Oregon Gulch Fire | Jul 31, 2014 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 3 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 25, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Feb 9, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2006 | — |
| Flood | Jan 1, 2006 | — |
| Flood | Dec 31, 2005 | $450,000 |
| Flood | Aug 11, 1999 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 25, 2025. Three days of heavy rain from a slow moving frontal system and snow melt caused the Sprague River near Beatty to rise above minor flood stage.
Flood · Apr 29, 2023. Snowmelt caused the Sprague River near Beatty to exceed flood stage.
Flood · May 1, 2023. Mountain snow melt caused the Sprague River near Beatty to exceed flood stage.
Flood · Feb 9, 2017. Heavy rain combined with snow melt caused flooding along the Sprague River in south central 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 Klamath 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.