2 flood insurance claims·$95 paid·7 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 Garfield 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Garfield County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 12, 2015 |
| 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 |
| School Fire | Aug 7, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding | Dec 26, 1996 |
| High Winds, Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 26, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
6 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2008 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2002 | — |
| Flood | May 26, 1999 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Jan 2, 1997 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 23, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through the region on February 22-26. Many locations across Eastern Washington received rain amounts 1 to 2 inches over the period. The rain combined with snow melt in the area leading to several reports of flooding from Pullman to Spokane. Little Spokane River at Dartford crested at 5.82 feet. The Latah Creek at Spokane crested at 12.82 feet. The South Fork of the Palouse River at…
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2022. A slow moving Low brought several rounds of thunderstorms to the Eastern Washington. The thunderstorms produced large hail, strong winds, and flash flooding to the region. The first round impacted Southeast WA. The Low increased instability and low level moisture leading to decent afternoon convection.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2008. Brief heavy rain led to flash flooding near Pullman and 14 miles east of Pomeroy. Five to six miles north to northeast of Pullman, flooding was observed on Estes and Old Ambion roads. Fourteen miles east of Pomeroy, 1.6 inches of rain was measured in 20 minutes near Alpowa Summit on Highway 12. This led to several road closures on the southwest side of the summit.
Flood · Apr 14, 2002. Several days of warm weather, wind and rain caused rapid mid-elevation snowmelt. This pushed the Grande Ronde River into flood. Nearby at Troy, Oregon, the river passed its flood stage of 10.0 feet, cresting at 10.44 feet at 530 PM PDT before falling back below flood stage.
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 Garfield 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.