1,211 flood insurance claims·$53.1M 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 Whatcom 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 coastal flood events driven by severe storms, heavy rainfall, and king tides shape the flood risk in Whatcom County. NOAA Storm Events Database records document significant impacts from these hazards, including heavy rainfall of 5 to 10 inches that caused river and urban flooding in November 2021, as well as coastal flooding driven by king tides, low pressure, and strong winds in December 2022.
Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance claims data shows the highest volume of claims in Zone A, with 937 claims averaging $54,621 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone X accounts for 119 claims averaging $63,270 with an average water depth of 15 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED has 87 claims averaging $28,510 with an average water depth of 3 inches. Zone V includes 43 claims averaging $20,315 with an average water depth of 7 inches, and unknown zones record 19 claims averaging $8,548 with an average water depth of 3 inches.
Property owners and residents near rivers and coastal areas should pay the closest attention to these flood hazards, given the historical mix of river overflows, atmospheric rivers, and coastal storm surges.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Whatcom County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,073 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 7 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 2021, with 329 claims and $22.5M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Whatcom County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 5, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado | Dec 10, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | Jan 30, 2017 |
| Severe Windstorm | Aug 29, 2015 |
| Goodell Fire | Aug 19, 2015 |
| Wildfires And Mudslides | Aug 9, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
12 since 1996: 5 river or area floods and 7 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Dec 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Nov 28, 2021 | $8.5M |
| Flood | Nov 14, 2021 | $34.0M · 1 killed |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 3, 2014 | $1,000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jan 26, 2012 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 17, 2012 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Dec 12, 2010 | $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 · 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 14, 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…
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2021. A series of storm systems affected Western Washington around the middle of January, with dangerous beach conditions expected to set up by January 12. This combined with King Tides led to the potential for coastal flooding through the 13th.
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 Whatcom 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.