8 flood insurance claims·$9,901 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 Adams County, Washington. 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 68 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 2025, with 2 claims and $2,435 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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 Adams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Lind Fire | Aug 4, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | Jan 30, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding | Dec 26, 1996 |
| High Winds, Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 26, 1996 |
| Volcanic Eruption, Mt. St. Helens | May 21, 1980 |
| Drought | Mar 31, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 1 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 16, 2017 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2017 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Feb 12, 2014 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2005 | — |
| Flood | Jun 27, 2001 | — |
| Flood | May 21, 1997 | — |
| Flood | Jan 2, 1997 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 16, 2017. During the afternoon of February 15th and into the morning of February 16th an atmospheric river of moisture produced widespread heavy rain across eastern Washington. The Spokane airport received 1.18 inches of rainfall during this period, Harrington 1.27 inches and 1.55 inches of rain fell at Newport. Runoff from this rain along with low elevation snow melt produced widespread small stream and field flooding with…
Flood · Feb 12, 2014. Numerous areas across the Idaho Panhandle dealt with flooding during the second week of February. While minor flooding is a common occurrence during the late winter months when warmer temperatures, wind, and rain fall on valley snowpack, there was one ingredient of this event that made it unique and rather intense for many locations. This was the intrusion of two Arctic air masses; one in December and one in Febru…
Flash Flood · May 9, 2005. On the evening of the 9th of May, a storm system brought slow moving thunderstorms across Eastern Washington. These storms dumped 2 to 5 inches of rain in about 6 hours on portions of Adams, Lincoln and Chelan Counties. In Adams County, flash flooding occurred in and around the town of Ritzville. Many homes, streets and businesses were flooded due to the heavy rain. In Lincoln County, a few homes and businesses we…
Flood · Jun 27, 2001. Summary of events for June 27 2001:A shortwave moved over the Inland Northwest on the afternoon and evening of June 27. Surface dewpoints in the upper 50s and lower 60s helped scattered thunderstorms to develop and move northeast. The biggest storm of the day developed over the Oregon Cascades and then moved northeast into Washington. This storm entered Grant County near Priest Rapids Dam, clipping southwest Ad…
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 Adams 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.