78 flood insurance claims·$821,650 paid·5 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 Polk 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 and localized flooding resulting from atmospheric rivers and frontal systems dominate flood risk in Polk County, which recorded 27 flood events over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events database. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including minor flooding along the Luckiamute River near Suver in January 2024, and localized river flooding caused by a weak to moderate atmospheric river in December 2024. Another severe event occurred on February 24, 2025, when a strengthening upper-level low, warmer temperatures, and prior snowfall facilitated localized flooding and isolated severe thunderstorms.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that property owners in high-risk Zone A face the most frequent exposure, accounting for 53 claims with an average payout of $21,680 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 22 claims with an average payout of $6,488 and an average recorded water depth of 34 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $2,396 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and Zone D recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X near rivers, streams, and low-lying areas susceptible to heavy rainfall and rising water levels.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Polk County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
55 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 17 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 2007, with 23 claims and $342,213 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Polk County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 6, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 17, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 13, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 1, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Dec 14, 2006 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 18, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 27 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 28, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Dec 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Dec 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jan 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jan 4, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Dec 20, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 24, 2025. A strengthening upper-level low and an associated strong low pressure system at the surface tracked just off the Pacific Northwest coast leading to a period of high winds. Warmer temperatures, additional rainfall and prior snowfall to this event facilitated localized flooding as well. The frontal passage during the early afternoon hours of Feb 24th allowed for a period of isolated severe thunderstorms later that a…
Flood · Jan 28, 2024. Minor flooding at Tualatin River at Farmington, Pudding River at Aurora, and Luckiamute River near Suver.
Flood · Dec 27, 2024. A period of heavy rain due to a weak to moderate atmospheric river and earlier precipitation leading up to the event facilitated localized river flooding in Oregon.
Flood · Dec 7, 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…
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 Polk 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.