58 flood insurance claims·$660,653 paid·7 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 Whitman 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 dominates Whitman County, accounting for 33 of the 45 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 12 flash flood events. Recent events illustrate this hazard, such as the February 2025 atmospheric river that combined 1 to 2 inches of rain with snowmelt, causing flooding from Pullman to Spokane, including a 7.64-foot crest on the South Fork of the Palouse River at Pullman.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties in FEMA Zone A experience the most severe impacts, accounting for 36 claims with an average payout of $22,174 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. Additional claims occurred in Zone UNKNOWN (10 claims, average payout of $4,604, average water depth of 2 inches), Zone X_UNSHADED (6 claims, average payout of $4,146, average water depth of 2 inches), Zone X_SHADED (4 claims, average payout of $14,088, average water depth of 0 inches), and Zone X (2 claims, average payout of $12,486, average water depth of 0 inches).
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and near river systems, where historical water depths and claim payouts are significantly higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Whitman County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
46 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 11 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 23 claims and $373,660 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.
25 NOAA storm reports from Whitman County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Washington flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1964, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Wildfires | Aug 18, 2023 |
| Babb Fire | Sep 7, 2020 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Sep 1, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Nov 12, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record And Near Record Snow | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding | Dec 26, 1996 |
| High Winds, Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 26, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 33 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 24, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Feb 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 24, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 24, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through the region on February 22-26. Many locations across Eastern Washington received rain amounts 1 to 2 inches over the period. The rain combined with snow melt in the area leading to several reports of flooding from Pullman to Spokane. Little Spokane River at Dartford crested at 5.82 feet. The Latah Creek at Spokane crested at 12.82 feet. The South Fork of the Palouse River at…
Flood · Feb 23, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through the region on February 22-26. Many locations across Eastern Washington received rain amounts 1 to 2 inches over the period. The rain combined with snow melt in the area leading to several reports of flooding from Pullman to Spokane. Little Spokane River at Dartford crested at 5.82 feet. The Latah Creek at Spokane crested at 12.82 feet. The South Fork of the Palouse River at…
Flood · Feb 22, 2025. A strong atmospheric river moved through the region on February 22-26. Many locations across Eastern Washington received rain amounts 1 to 2 inches over the period. The rain combined with snow melt in the area leading to several reports of flooding from Pullman to Spokane. Little Spokane River at Dartford crested at 5.82 feet. The Latah Creek at Spokane crested at 12.82 feet. The South Fork of the Palouse River at…
Flood · Dec 26, 2022. Rain amounts above an inch and melting snow caused flooding issues in the Spokane and|Oakesdale areas.
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 Whitman 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.