12 flood insurance claims·$38,768 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 Lincoln 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.
General river flooding and flash flooding shape the flood history of Lincoln County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 9 general flood events and 7 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include a strong atmospheric river in February 2025 that brought 1 to 2 inches of rain combined with snow melt, causing flooding across Eastern Washington. Additionally, a late-March snowmelt in 2019 produced localized small stream and low-spot field flooding that led to temporary road closures in the Columbia Basin.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across different zones. Zone A properties experienced 10 claims with an average payout of $8,857 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone X properties recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $3,338 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Property owners located in Zone A and near low-spot fields, small streams, or areas susceptible to atmospheric river impacts and snowmelt should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 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 1997, with 6 claims and $32,952 paid, the year of Heavy Rains, Snow Melt, Flooding, Land & Mud Slides.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Lincoln County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 1, 2020 |
| Angel Springs Fire | Aug 2, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | Jan 30, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 12, 2015 |
| Wildfires And Mudslides | Aug 9, 2015 |
| Watermelon Hill Fire | Jul 19, 2014 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, And Flooding | Jan 6, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 12, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2025 | $500 |
| Flood | Mar 20, 2019 | $800 |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2017 | $800,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Feb 12, 2014 | $600,000 |
| Flood | Mar 5, 2014 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2009 | $15,000 |
— = 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…
Flood · Feb 22, 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…
Flood · Mar 20, 2019. A late march melt off of low elevation snow in and around the Columbia Basin produced localized small stream and low spot field flooding which lead to the temporary closure of some area roads.
Flood · Mar 12, 2017. The month of March was a very wet period for eastern Washington. The Pullman COOP station reported a monthly total of 5.25 inches of precipitation, 2.75 inches above average for the month. The Spokane airport reported 4.11 inches which was 2.50 inches above average. The Colville COOP station reported 2.98 inches which was 1.86 inches above average and the Wenatchee airport recorded 1.23 inches, or .59 inches above…
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 Lincoln 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.