14 flood insurance claims·$80,456 paid·4 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 Uintah 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 and general flooding from summer monsoonal thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominate the flood profile here. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, the county experienced 11 flash flood events and 10 flood events. Recorded historical incidents include heavy rainfall from a stalled cold front in September 2016 that caused flooding in Ballard, Lapoint, Tridell, and Vernal, as well as storms producing heavy rain and debris flows on the Pack Creek Fire burn scar in August 2021.
Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones with varying water depths and payouts. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 5 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $14,398. Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average water depth of 6 inches and an average payout of $3,534. Zone A logged 3 claims with an average water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $4,739, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims averaging 1 inch of water depth and a $2,785 average payout.
Homeowners and real estate professionals should pay the closest attention to properties located in unmapped or unknown zones, as well as areas prone to rapid rainfall runoff, burn scar debris flows, and unshaded low-risk zones where historical claims have still occurred.
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 3 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 1984, with 4 claims and $57,591 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Uintah County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Utah flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Apr 18, 2011 |
| Neola North Fire | Jun 30, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Flooding And Landslides | Apr 28, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Landslides & Flooding | Apr 13, 1983 |
| Drought | Jan 20, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 1, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Sep 22, 2016 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2014 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2014 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2011 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2011 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2009 | $12,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 1, 2021. Abundant monsoon moisture remained in place across eastern Utah. This, paired with increased instability, resulted in another round of showers and thunderstorms with the stronger storms producing heavy rain. Flooding and debris flows occurred with several storms including on the Pack Creek Fire burn scar.
Flood · Sep 22, 2016. A cold front with strong upper level jet support stalled over eastern Utah and resulted in heavy rainfall across most of Uintah County. Flooding occurred in Ballard, Lapoint, Tridell, and Vernal.
Flash Flood · Aug 20, 2014. Saturated soil conditions from the previous day of flooding and heavy rain left conditions favorable for rapid rainfall runoff in the Uintah Basin. Thunderstorms in the afternoon of August 20th, again contained heavy rainfall rates in excess of an inch and caused flash flooding in the town of Maeser.
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2014. Monsoonal moisture focused on eastern Utah resulted in heavy rainfall at a rate of one inch per hour which caused flooding and debris flows in some areas.
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 Uintah 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.