2 flood insurance claims·$14,679 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 Garfield 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 risk profile in Garfield County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 135 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, compared to only 5 general flood events.
Recent weather patterns illustrate this hazard. In July 2025, a cutoff low placed off the southwest CONUS advected moisture into southern Utah, creating periods of sufficiently heavy rain that resulted in flash flooding over rain-sensitive areas. Similar conditions occurred in September 2025, when a moisture surge and cutoff low produced locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding over the course of several days.
Historical NFIP records reflect limited claims activity, specifically in Zone X_UNSHADED, which recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $7,339 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in rain-sensitive areas prone to sudden convective storm runoff and flash flooding.
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 1 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Garfield County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Utah flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Mammoth Fire | Jun 5, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Dec 20, 2010 |
| 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.
140 since 1996: 135 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 26, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 29, 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 · Jul 17, 2025. A weak northern stream shortwave trough moving through the northwest CONUS resulted in the development of high based convection. Some of this convection resulted in strong to severe wind gusts. Additionally, a cutoff low placed off of the southwest CONUS helped advect moisture into southern Utah, leading to convection with periods of sufficiently heavy rain to result in flash flooding over some rain sensitive areas.
Flash Flood · Sep 7, 2025. An early September moisture surge resulted in the return of a more active weather pattern to Utah, including some isolated instances of flash flooding as well as a strong thunderstorm wind gust.
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. The start of the month had several storm systems that brought gusty winds, hail, 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 Garfield 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.