387 flood insurance claims·$6.4M paid·14 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 Thurston 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.
21% of Thurston County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
313 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 1996, with 87 claims and $1.8M paid, the year of High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,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 Thurston County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 14 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-line Winds, Floodin | Dec 26, 2021 |
| Bordeaux Road Fire | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 20, 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 Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 1, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
5 since 1996: 4 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | $63,000 |
| Flood | Jan 3, 2021 | $63,000 |
| Flood | Jan 7, 2009 | $3.2M |
| Flood | Nov 4, 2006 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · 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 3, 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…
Flood · Jan 7, 2009. Rainfall of 8-20 inches in the mountains and 1 to 9 inches in the lowlands occurred from Jan 6th through 8th. Flooding was widespread over much of Western Washington. Record flooding occurred on the Snoqualmie, Tolt, and North Fork Stillaguamish Rivers. Near record flooding occurred on the Snohomish, Newaukum, and Skookumchuck Rivers. Major flooding occurred on 18 rivers and 21 forecast points. Surveys found…
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 Thurston 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.