1,106 flood insurance claims·$25.3M paid·11 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 Pierce 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.
Coastal flooding and river overflow shape the flood risk in Pierce County, driven by a mix of coastal flood and riverine flood events recorded over the last thirty years. Recent events illustrate these hazards, such as the December 2022 coastal flooding caused by King Tides, low pressure, and strong winds with gusts up to 64 miles per hour, as well as the November 2024 event when low atmospheric pressure and high astronomical tide produced minor to moderate coastal flooding in south Puget Sound. River flooding also occurs, including the December 2015 event that flooded trailers in an RV park near the Puyallup River.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across various zones, with the highest volume concentrated in Zone A with 656 claims averaging a payout of $32,353 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Zone X accounts for 157 claims with an average payout of $24,236 and an average water depth of 22 inches, while unshaded Zone X records 150 claims averaging $18,002 with an average water depth of 11 inches. Shaded Zone X includes 35 claims averaging $33,555 with an average water depth of 8 inches, and unknown zones represent 74 claims averaging $9,374 with an average water depth of 8 inches.
Properties near rivers and coastal shorelines should pay the most attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Pierce County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
875 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 2009, with 230 claims and $7.5M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Pierce County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 11 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Sumner Grade Fire | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 14, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, And Flooding | Jan 6, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 14, 2006 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 2, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
6 since 1996: 3 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Nov 13, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Dec 9, 2015 | $25,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 17, 2012 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Jan 7, 2009 | $8.8M |
| Flood | Nov 4, 2006 | $2.1M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Nov 13, 2024. A combination of low atmospheric pressure and high astronomical tide produced minor to moderate coastal flooding on the Washington coast and in south Puget Sound.
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 · Dec 9, 2015. There was some flooding of the Cispus and Cowlitz rivers. Forest Service Road 23 suffered extensive washouts at mileposts 12.5 and 24. As a result the popular road is currently closed at mileposts 11 and 25. There was additional flood-related closures on Forest Service roads in Lewis county.|Trailers in an RV park near the Puyallup River were flooded.
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.
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 Pierce 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.