15 flood insurance claims·$61,426 paid·4 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 Stevens 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.
Standard riverine flooding events dominate the historical record over flash floods in Stevens County, Washington. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the past 30 years, the county experienced 16 flood events compared to 8 flash flood events. A notable example occurred in April 2023, when an atmospheric river brought mild temperatures and heavy rain to Northeast Washington, causing snowmelt in the low to mid elevations that, combined with 1.0 to 1.5 inches of rain, led to local flooding issues.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data show recorded incidents across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $11,210 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties in Zone A recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $4,147 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists tracking property risk in Stevens County should pay the most attention to properties located within both Zone X and Zone A, as these zones account for the entirety of the county's recorded flood insurance claims and payouts.
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 2 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 3 claims and $31,034 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 Stevens County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Ford Corkscrew Fire | Aug 16, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 12, 2015 |
| Renner Fire | Aug 21, 2015 |
| Stevens County Fire Complex | Aug 14, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Aug 13, 2015 |
| Wildfires And Mudslides | Aug 9, 2015 |
| Lake Spokane Fire | Jul 9, 2014 |
| Slide Creek Wildfire | Aug 26, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
24 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 27, 2023 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2022 | $2,000 |
| Flood | May 9, 2018 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Mar 12, 2017 | $1.6M |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2017 | $800,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 27, 2023. Thunderstorms impacted the region bringing damage and flash flooding to Eastern Washington.
Flood · Apr 10, 2023. An atmospheric river brought mild temperatures and heavy rain to Northeast Washington. The mild temperatures caused snowmelt in the low to mid elevations. The rapid melt and rain amounts of an 1.0-1.5 caused flooding issues.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2022. A slow moving low moved through the region over July 3 through July 5. It carried ample moisture and instability to produce several rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rains. The thunderstorms produced hail, high winds, and lightning. The heavy rains created flash flooding.
Flood · May 9, 2018. Run off from melting of near record snow pack in the British Columbia mountains promoted record flooding on the Kettle River during the second and third weeks of May. Bottom lands and parks along the river were extensively inundated as well as yards and outbuildings. Many homes near the river suffered basement flooding and a few homes received first floor flooding. ||Highway 21 near Danville, a major highway throu…
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 Stevens 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.