89 flood insurance claims·$320,917 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 Weber 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.
River flooding driven by seasonal snowmelt and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Weber County. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, standard riverine floods account for 14 events and one death, while flash floods account for four events. Significant snowmelt events are well-documented, such as in May 2023 when record winter snowpack led to high flows that washed out a portion of State Route 39 in Ogden Canyon and resulted in a fatality along the Weber River. Another notable event occurred in May 2017, when warming temperatures caused rapid snowmelt and subsequent flooding along the South Fork of the Ogden River.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that flood risks extend across multiple zones. Properties located in Zone X recorded 40 claims with an average payout of $8,970 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Zone A properties experienced 28 claims with an average payout of $8,518 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED properties recorded 8 claims averaging $2,859 with an average water depth of 4 inches, while Zone D properties logged 2 claims averaging $2,247 with an average water depth of 1 inch. An additional 11 claims were filed under an unknown zone, averaging $1,656 and 1 inch of water.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated near rivers, streams, and canyons, as well as those located within designated Zone A and Zone X areas where historical claims and recorded water depths are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Weber County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
36 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 11 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 2017, with 9 claims and $37,937 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 Weber County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Utah flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Straight-line Winds | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Uintah Fire | Sep 5, 2017 |
| Flooding | Apr 18, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Causey Fire 07/14/2003 | Jul 14, 2003 |
| Heavy Rains, Snowmelt & Flooding | Feb 12, 1986 |
| Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding | Aug 17, 1984 |
| Severe Storms, Landslides & Flooding | Apr 13, 1983 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 11, 2023 | $14,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 6, 2017 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jan 21, 2012 | $80,000 |
| Flood | Jan 19, 2012 | $50,000 |
| Flood | May 25, 2011 | $10,000 |
| Flood | May 22, 2011 | $550,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 11, 2023. High flows on the Ogden River associated with snowmelt from the record winter resulted in a portion of state Route 39 in Ogden Canyon being washed out.
Flood · May 1, 2023. Spring runoff from the prior winter's record snowpack resulted in elevated flows through area rivers, and in early May, resulted in a fatality as an adult woman fell into the Weber River.
Flood · Feb 7, 2017. Heavy rainfall and significant snowmelt through the month of February combined to produce flooding in multiple locations across far northern Utah.
Flood · May 6, 2017. Warming temperatures in the first half of May led to rapid snowmelt, causing flooding along the South Fork of the Ogden River.
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 Weber 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.