1,961 flood insurance claims·$36.6M paid·13 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 Snohomish 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.
River flooding driven by heavy rainfall and atmospheric rivers dominates Snohomish County, accounting for 10 of the 14 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside coastal floods, storm surges, and flash floods. Recent impacts include an atmospheric river event in December 2023 that brought flooding, record-breaking rainfall, and record high temperatures, as well as back-to-back atmospheric rivers in November 2021 that produced heavy rainfall and regional flooding. Additionally, coastal flooding occurred during the December 2022 high tide cycle due to King Tides, low pressure, and wind gusts reaching 64 miles per hour.
National Flood Insurance Program records show the heaviest claim concentrations occur in Zone A with 1,539 claims averaging $21,925 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties in Zone X also face significant risk, logging 201 claims with a higher average payout of $40,904 and an average water depth of 11 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A river corridors, Zone X areas, and coastal locations vulnerable to King Tides and storm surges.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Snohomish County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,632 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 10 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 2006, with 329 claims and $7.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Tidal Surge, Landslides, and Mudslides, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides and Severe Winter Storm, 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Snohomish County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
36 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 3, 2022 |
| Bolt Creek Fire | Sep 10, 2022 |
| 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 Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 12, 2015 |
| Severe Windstorm | Aug 29, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
14 since 1996: 1 flash floods, 10 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 5, 2023 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2021 | $2.4M |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2021 | $329,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 20, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Nov 17, 2015 | $250,000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jan 26, 2012 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 17, 2012 | $200,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 5, 2023. An atmospheric river event brought flooding, record breaking rainfall, and record high temperatures to Western Washington.
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 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 12, 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…
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 Snohomish 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.