109 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·10 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 Benton 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.
18% of Benton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
92 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 7 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 1996, with 34 claims and $858,296 paid, the year of High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding.
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 Benton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | Jan 30, 2017 |
| South Ward Gap Fire | Jul 31, 2016 |
| Dry Creek Fire Complex | Aug 21, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, And Flooding | Jan 6, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Earthquake | Feb 28, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jan 18, 2011 | $60,000 |
| Flood | May 17, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Jan 8, 2009 | — |
| Flood | Jan 8, 2009 | $453,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2019. Slow moving thunderstorms produced up to 2 inches of rain in 1 hour in and around the Badger WA area with water up to 10 inches deep reported across several roads across portions of southwestern Kennewick to Badger.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2017. A disturbance, associated with subtropical moisture, caused thunderstorms producing large hail and severe wind gusts over portions of eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. Also locally heavy rain and local flooding occurred with some storms.
Flood · Feb 21, 2017. Rapid melting of low elevation snow pack with heavy rain cause flooding across portions of southeast Washington.
Flood · Jan 18, 2011. A large Pacific weather system became established in mid January that produced copious amounts of rainfall with unseasonably warm conditions in parts of Washington. The heavy rainfall combined with snowmelt caused rapid runoff with 4 rivers and 7 different warning points reaching flood stage. Flood warnings were first issued on the morning of January 15 and the last flood warning ended on January 21st.
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 Benton 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.