1,294 flood insurance claims·$22.2M 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 Skagit 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 standard floods dominate Skagit County, accounting for 5 of the last 30 years of recorded events in the NOAA Storm Events Database alongside 5 flash floods and 2 coastal floods. Recent events illustrate this variety, including an August 2024 flash flood and debris flow event along State Route 20 caused by thunderstorms over the Cascades, and coastal flooding on December 27, 2022, driven by King Tides, strong low pressure, and wind gusts up to 64 miles per hour. Additionally, heavy rainfall from atmospheric rivers caused river and urban flooding in November 2021.
FEMA data shows the highest claim volume is concentrated in Zone A with 1,018 claims, an average payout of $24,088, and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Properties with unknown zone designations recorded 190 claims with an average payout of $6,762 and an average water depth of 3 inches, while Zone X properties recorded 32 claims with an average payout of $28,051 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Zone X Shaded properties saw 29 claims averaging $12,883 with an average water depth of 8 inches, and Zone X Unshaded properties recorded 23 claims averaging $25,519 with an average water depth of 12 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in Zone A and river-adjacent areas should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Skagit County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,072 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 9 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 1990, with 272 claims and $2.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding and Severe Storms & High Tides.
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 Skagit County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 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 |
| 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 |
| Goodell Fire | Aug 19, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 5 flash floods, 5 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2024 | $103,400 |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Nov 28, 2021 | $3.0M · 1 killed |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2021 | $12.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2013 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2013 | $100,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 17, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Dec 12, 2010 | $300,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 11, 2024. An upper level shortwave trough destabilized atmosphere environment that led to numerous thunderstorms and heavy rain. Several thunderstorms occurred over the crest of the Cascades near Easy and Rainy Passes that caused multiple flash floods and debris flows off the mountain ridge along and northeast of State Route 20 that buried the highway in multiple locations.
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 · Nov 28, 2021. Heavy rain of 5 to 10 inches caused flooding on many rivers, including the Bogachiel, Nooksack, Samish, Skagit, Skokomish, Stillaguamish Rivers. There was urban and small stream flooding as well. The heavy rain also triggered landslides throughout the area. Significant flooding on the Nooksack River, for the second time this month, overflowed at the City of Everson to the degree that flood waters flowed north alon…
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…
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 Skagit 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.