1 flood insurance claims·$570 paid·2 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 Niobrara 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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.
5 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 24, 2015 |
| Wy - Winter Storm 10/5/98 | Oct 5, 1998 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides | May 29, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
5 since 1996: 5 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2015 | $1.5M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2006 | $40,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · May 26, 2015. Evening thunderstorms produced large hail and flash flooding over western Niobrara County in east central Wyoming.
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2015. Thunderstorms across much of southeast Wyoming produced widespread large hail as well as some flash flooding from torrential rainfall. The worst flooding occurred during the predawn hours across southern Niobrara County from Manville to Lusk to Van Tassel.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2015. Evening and late night thunderstorms produced large hail and very heavy rain over portions of east central and southeast Wyoming. Flash flooding occurred in southern Niobrara County where four to eight inches of rain was observed.
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 Niobrara 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.