12 flood insurance claims·$51,066 paid
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 Goshen 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 dominates the flood risk profile in Goshen County, Wyoming, backed by 34 recorded flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences include heavy rainfall in July 2024 that caused flash flooding in central Goshen County and Torrington, leaving portions of Highway 26 underwater. Additionally, heavy rain in June 2023 produced flash flooding across the plains and near Chugwater, as well as from Hawk Springs to La Grange in the southern part of the county.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across different zones, including five claims in Zone A with an average payout of $3,490 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X also recorded five claims, with a higher average payout of $18,552 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, alongside two claims in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X where significant claim payouts indicate financial risk from localized heavy rainfall and storm events.
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 1 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 2016, with 5 claims and $37,104 paid.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Goshen County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wyoming flood stories →
5 federal disaster declarations since 1998.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | May 18, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Oct 31, 2000 |
| Wy - Winter Storm 10/5/98 | Oct 5, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 34 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2022 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2024. Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall occurred in central Goshen County, including Torrington where numerous reports of flash flooding were received. This included portions of Highway 26 underwater.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2023. Severe storms developed across the southeast Wyoming high plains the afternoon of 22 June 2023. Storms produced heavy rain resulting in flash flooding for parts of the plains and a tornado near Chugwater, Wyoming.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2023. Heavy rain fell in southern Goshen County the afternoon of 12 June 2023. Led to flash flooding from Hawk Springs to La Grange.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2022. Flash flooding of farmland and surrounding buildings occurred after the Interstate Canal breached 1 mile northwest of Lingle. This led to portions of Highway 26 being closed due to high water while many area farm roads were also inundated. Several homes were evacuated due to the high water.
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 Goshen 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.