22 flood insurance claims·$38,089 paid·1 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 Campbell County, Wyoming. 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms and general flooding dominate the flood history of Campbell County, Wyoming. According to the NOAA Storm Events Database over the last 30 years, the county recorded 14 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside 12 general flood events. Significant occurrences include a stationary thunderstorm in June 2015 that dropped several inches of rain in under two hours, covering Interstate 90 with water and debris between Gillette and Buffalo. Additionally, heavy rain combined with snowmelt caused flooding along the Little Powder River in May 2019 and along the Powder River in May 2015.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records show NFIP claims across multiple zones. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 12 claims with an average payout of $2,902 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED had 4 claims averaging $3,518 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone A logged 2 claims averaging $1,758 with 0 inches average depth. Zone X recorded 2 claims averaging $1,351 with an average water depth of 1 inch, and Zone D recorded 1 claim averaging $1,824 with an average depth of 0 inches. Property owners and real estate agents working near rivers, in unshaded Zone X, and within poorly defined or unmapped areas should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
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 3 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 1978, with 12 claims and $28,956 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding & 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Campbell County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wyoming flood stories →
6 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Wildfires | Aug 21, 2024 |
| Tornado | Aug 12, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides | May 29, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 4, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2014 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2013 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 30, 2019. Rain and melting snow caused flooding along the Little Powder River in far northwestern Campbell County.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2019. Runoff from heavy rain caused flash flooding in two coal mines southeast of Gillette.
Flood · May 27, 2015. Runoff from melting snow in the Bighorn Mountains and heavy rain over the upper Powder River Basin caused significant flooding along the Powder River in northeastern Wyoming.
Flood · Jun 4, 2015. Runoff from around two inches of rain on already saturated soils caused minor flooding in far northwestern Campbell County.
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 Campbell 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.