10 flood insurance claims·$150,969 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 Lake 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 4 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 1981, with 3 claims and $2,551 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.
12 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Patton Meadow Fire | Aug 15, 2021 |
| Bootleg Fire | Jul 10, 2021 |
| Brattain Fire | Sep 12, 2020 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 26, 2003 |
| Or - Winter Fire - 07/15/2002 | Jul 15, 2002 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Land And Mudslides, Flooding | Dec 25, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
5 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 8, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jan 1, 2006 | — |
| Flood | Dec 31, 2005 | $450,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2001 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 1998 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 8, 2019. Two days of very heavy rainfall (compared to April normals) combined with snowmelt led to areal flooding in southwest and south central Oregon.
Flood · Jan 1, 2006. The Sprague River at Beatty exceeded flood stage (8.5 feet) at 31/2300 PST, crested at 9.35 feet at 01/1200 PST in January 2006, and fell below flood stage at 02/0830 PST in January 2006. A Flood Warning was issued for the area at 30/1215 PST, and cancelled at 02/1543 PST in January 2006.
Flood · Dec 31, 2005. The Sprague River at Beatty exceeded flood stage (8.5 feet) at 31/2300 PST, crested at 9.35 feet at 01/1200 PST in January 2006, and fell below flood stage at 02/0830 PST in January 2006. A Flood Warning was issued for the area at 30/1215 PST, and cancelled at 02/1543 PST in January 2006. One road was damaged in Lake County, estimated repair expenses were $450,000.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2001. At the time listed above, Lakeview Police reported rock and/or mudslides on State Highway 140 at mileposts 22, 23.2, and 25.1. They also reported .25 inch hail up to an inch deep and 2 feet of water in spots on the same highway. Based on this report and radar data, a Flash Flood Warning was issued for Southern Lake county at 1604 PDT on 07/14/01 and expired at 1900 PDT on 07/14/01.
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 Lake 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.