305 flood insurance claims·$6.3M paid·12 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 Mason 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.
19% of Mason County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
257 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 12 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 67 claims and $2.1M 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Mason County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 12 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 |
| Mcewan Fire | Jul 4, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Floodin | Dec 26, 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, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado | Dec 10, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, And A T | Dec 1, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
6 since 1996: 5 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | $5,440 |
| Flood | Jan 2, 2021 | $8,160 |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 17, 2012 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Dec 12, 2010 | $700,000 |
| Flood | Jan 7, 2009 | $900,000 |
| Flood | Dec 3, 2007 | $12,000 · 1 killed |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Jan 2, 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…
Coastal Flood · Dec 17, 2012. High astronomical tides coincided with low pressure to cause record high tide levels throughout Puget Sound. Many homes and yards along the shoreline were flooded.
Flood · Dec 12, 2010. The Stillaguamish River reached record level. There were several roads washed out in Kitsap county. 2 homes were damaged from mudslides.
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 Mason 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.