2,102 flood insurance claims·$80.6M paid·19 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 Lewis 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.
Riverine flooding and severe weather systems dominate Lewis County, supported by NOAA records of 8 standard flood events and 1 coastal flood event over the last 30 years. Recent historic events include a series of back-to-back atmospheric rivers driven by an Aleutian Low pressure system in January 2021, and another multi-storm atmospheric river episode in November 2021 that brought heavy rainfall across western Washington. Additionally, a coastal flood event occurred on December 27, 2022, driven by King Tides, strong low pressure, wind gusts up to 64 mph, and tidal conditions 1 to 2 feet above the higher astronomical tide.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks impact multiple zones differently. Zone A properties have filed the vast majority of claims totaling 1,720, with an average recorded water depth of 13 inches and an average payout of $43,289. Properties in unshaded Zone X recorded 183 claims with an average depth of 12 inches and a $40,594 payout, while shaded Zone X properties averaged 12 inches of water depth with a $67,817 payout across 55 claims.
Property owners in Zone A face the highest concentration of historical claims, while residents in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas also experience significant flood impacts and should maintain awareness of local flood hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Lewis County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,958 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 13 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 2007, with 639 claims and $41.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms, 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Lewis County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
36 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 19 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 3, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Floodin | Dec 26, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 5, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 29, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | Jan 30, 2017 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 8 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | $1.4M |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2021 | $526,000 |
| Flood | Jan 3, 2021 | $1.4M |
| Flood | Nov 18, 2015 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Dec 8, 2015 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Jan 7, 2009 | $8.4M |
| Flood | Dec 2, 2007 | $50.0M · 1 killed |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Dec 27, 2022. Coastal flooding between 8 AM - 11 AM high tide cycle on 12/27. The event was a result of King Tides, coinciding with significantly strong low pressure in the area and strong winds. Wind gusts of up to 64 MPH occurred in the event as well as observed tidal conditions 1-2 feet above the HAT.
Flood · Jan 13, 2021. The period from January 10 to 16 continued a pattern of a strong and persistent Aleutian Low pressure system in the eastern Pacific that began December 29, 2020 and which directed the jet stream and primary storm track at Washington State. This resulted in a series of atmospheric rivers and wind storms that battered Washington State. Water vapor transport into Washington State averaged 160-200% of normal during t…
Flood · Nov 12, 2021. An upper level trough Gulf Low continued off the west coast that brought a series of atmospheric rivers resulting in flooding across parts of western Washington. This second atmospheric river episode of the month was a set of three atmospheric rivers back-to-back-to-back. Water vapor transport into Western Washington averaged 160 - 200% of normal during the period of 11 November - 16 November. Heavy rainfall sprea…
Flood · Jan 3, 2021. From December 29 - January 16, a strong and persistent Aleutian Low pressure system developed in the eastern Pacific which directed the jet stream and primary storm track at Washington State that resulted in a rapid series of atmospheric rivers and wind storms that battered Washington State. Water vapor transport into Washington State averaged 160-200% of normal during the period from December 29 through January 1…
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 Lewis 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.