6 flood insurance claims·$12,159 paid·3 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 Emery County, Utah. 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Emery County, Utah. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 46 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, compared to 3 general flood events. Recent activity includes heavy rain and flash flooding from slow-moving weather systems in September 2025, as well as thunderstorms that brought isolated flash flooding to central Utah in August 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program records show a total of six claims across different zones. Zone A accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $11,853 and an average recorded water depth of 39 inches. Zone UNKNOWN includes 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED has 1 claim with an average payout of $306 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone X, which recorded the highest average payouts and water depths among claims, alongside properties situated in areas susceptible to rapid flash flooding from convective storms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 22 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 2006, with 2 claims and $11,853 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Emery County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Utah flood stories →
6 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Apr 18, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Landslides & Flooding | Apr 13, 1983 |
| Drought | Jan 20, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
49 since 1996: 46 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | $35,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2025. A fairly weak cutoff low slowly ejected northward through the area over the course of several days. This feature in combination with sufficient moisture created an environment that supported several days of shower and thunderstorm development. Some of these storms produced locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding, as well as some strong wind gusts.
Flash Flood · Aug 26, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms brought flash flooding to portions of southern Utah.
Flash Flood · Sep 13, 2025. A multi-day surge of moisture associated with a slow moving broad synoptic trough resulted in a period of unsettled weather, including instances of heavy rain and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2024. Severe thunderstorms brought heavy rain, hail, gusty winds, and flash flooding.
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 Emery 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.