754 flood insurance claims·$15.0M paid·8 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 Tillamook 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 heavy rainfall dominate the flood risk in Tillamook County, where the NOAA Storm Events Database records 61 flood events and 1 death over the last 30 years. These floods are driven by significant weather systems, such as the atmospheric river on December 5, 2023, that delivered 12 to 16 inches of rain to the Coast Range over a five-day period, and the atmospheric river on February 28, 2022, which brought 5 to 10 inches of rain to the Coast Range and caused coastal rivers to flood.
Federal Insurance Administration records show that properties in FEMA Zone A face the heaviest impacts, accounting for 611 NFIP claims with an average payout of $25,350 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Zone V properties also experience significant coastal exposure, averaging 10 inches of recorded water depth across 29 claims with an average payout of $23,830. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X, Zone X shaded, and Zone X unshaded have recorded a combined 109 claims with average payouts ranging from $14,634 to $24,459 and average water depths between 3 and 7 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents near coastal areas, rivers, and smaller streams should pay the closest attention to these zone designations.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Tillamook County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
700 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 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 1999, with 137 claims and $2.4M 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Tillamook County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oregon flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 10, 2024 |
| Pike Road Fire | 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, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 17, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Mudslides, Landslides, And Debris Flows | Jan 13, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 13, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 61 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 5, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 5, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jan 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2021 | $60,000 |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Nov 11, 2021 | — |
— = 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 · Feb 28, 2022. An atmospheric river event, starting late Sunday February 27th and continuing through Monday February 28th, brought heavy rain and strong winds to northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Rainfall amounts varied from around one inch in the Willamette Valley, to 5 to 10 inches in the Coast Range as well as the Washington and northern Oregon Cascades. Widespread urban and small stream flooding occurred in the Grea…
Flood · Jan 6, 2022. The second in a series of strong Pacific fronts brought another round of heavy rain and resulting flooding of mainstem rivers draining the coastal mountains and interior of northwest Oregon. Coastal flooding also occurred at some coastal communities as a result of high astronomical tides combined with high river levels and high seas.
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…
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 Tillamook 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.