4 flood insurance claims·$54,480 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 Asotin 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 2 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 1 claims and $38,815 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Asotin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Wildfires | Aug 13, 2015 |
| 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 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | Jan 25, 1974 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2022 | $110,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2022 | $12,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 13, 2017 | $1.5M |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2017 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2012 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 5, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2002 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2023. A slow moving thunderstorm moved over the Lewiston/Clarkston area and caused flash flooding. The KLWS ASOS recorded 0.68 inches of rain from 1250LST to 1356LST.
Flash Flood · Jun 5, 2022. Another round widespread stratiform rain showers impacted the Inland Northwest. With the ground already saturated from previous system, the rain began to impact the region quickly with three quarters to an inch of rain.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2022. A deep upper level low over the Gulf of Alaska pushed nearly 200% of normal precipitable water into the Inland Northwest. It generated widespread thunderstorm activity. The steering flow of the storms was slow. It allowed the storms to rain large amounts.
Flash Flood · Apr 13, 2017. A privately owned dam holding a small pond failed on April 13th causing a flash flood which heavily damaged a section of Highway 129 between Fields Spring State Park and the Grand Ronde River. A bridge across Rattlesnake Creek was also destroyed.
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 Asotin 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.