462 flood insurance claims·$5.7M paid·6 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 Lincoln 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.
River overflow, coastal flooding, and urban inundation driven by atmospheric rivers and slow-moving frontal systems dominate the flood character of Lincoln County, where the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 22 flood events over the last 30 years. Recent regional impacts are documented in events such as January 2021, when a series of slow-moving fronts brought heavy rain, high surf, and coastal, river, and urban flooding, and November 2021, when an atmospheric river produced river flooding enhanced by high tides backing up rivers and creeks in low-lying coastal areas. An additional atmospheric river event occurred in December 2023, dumping heavy rain that pushed streams and rivers to flood stage along the coast.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that residents and property owners in Zone A should pay the most attention, accounting for the highest volume with 313 claims averaging a payout of $15,366 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties in Zone V also require close attention due to high severity, recording 36 claims with the highest average payout of $61,368 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Additional claims occurred in Zone X_SHADED (43 claims, average payout $9,871, average water depth 22 inches), Zone X (38 claims, average payout $14,982, average water depth 15 inches), and Zone X_UNSHADED (28 claims, average payout $18,338, average water depth 18 inches).
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Lincoln County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
420 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 10 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 1999, with 131 claims and $2.6M 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Lincoln County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 10, 2024 |
| Echo Mountain Fire Complex | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 6, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 6, 2014 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 17, 2012 |
| Tsunami Wave Surge | Mar 11, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 5, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Dec 20, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Nov 25, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Dec 7, 2015 | $128,000 |
| Flood | Dec 20, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 5, 2023. A strong atmospheric river brought heavy rains on December 5th which pushed many streams and rivers to flood stage along the coast, with minor flooding on many smaller streams and creeks across northwest Oregon. After moderate rainfall December 1st through the 4th, a very slow moving front dumped more heavy rain to the northern Oregon coast and coast range mountains. Area of the Coast Range received 12 to 16 inche…
Flood · Jan 13, 2021. A series of slow moving fronts brought periods of heavy rain along with strong winds. This resulted in high surf; coastal, river and urban flooding; landslides; and debris flows. As the front moved inland early on the 13th, a debris flow resulted in a fatality in the Columbia River Gorge. The front brought a burst of 35-50 mph winds to the Willamette Valley and southwest Washington interior resulting in over 100…
Flood · Nov 12, 2021. Heavy rains produced by an atmospheric river brought river flooding to portions of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. In addition, high tide backed up rivers and creeks in low lying areas along the coast, enhancing flooding.
Flood · Jan 12, 2021. A series of slow moving fronts brought periods of heavy rain along with strong winds. This resulted in high surf; coastal, river and urban flooding; landslides; and debris flows. As the front moved inland early on the 13th, a debris flow resulted in a fatality in the Columbia River Gorge. The front brought a burst of 35-50 mph winds to the Willamette Valley and southwest Washington interior resulting in over 100…
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 Lincoln 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.