19 flood insurance claims·$349,467 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 Park 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 historical flood profile of Park County, Wyoming, with NOAA records indicating 15 flash flood events and 12 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Flood events are exemplified by conditions such as the June 2022 incident, when a stationary front combined with an atmospheric river and embedded thunderstorms to produce extended moderate to heavy rainfall. This followed an unusually cool and wet spring in April and May that included a large storm dropping 2 to 3 feet of snow.
National Flood Insurance Program records highlight distinct risks across different zones. Zone A properties experienced 12 claims with an average payout of $33,361 and an average recorded water depth of 23 inches. In contrast, Zone X properties recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $15,184 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while one claim in an unknown zone averaged a $3,665 payout with 0 inches of recorded water depth. Consequently, homeowners and real estate agents with properties located in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk due to significantly higher water depths and claim payouts.
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 17 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 1997, with 6 claims and $136,757 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Park County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wyoming flood stories →
4 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Jun 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides | May 29, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jun 13, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2022 | $25.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jun 17, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 24, 2022. A series of thunderstorms dropped heavy rain over steep terrain about 6 to 10 miles east of the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Flash flooding brought mud and dead tree debris down area streams and creeks, causing impacts to local roads and US Hwy 14 (North Fork Highway).
Flood · Jun 13, 2022. On the weekend of June 11th and 12th, a stationary front set up across northwestern Wyoming. On June 12th into June 13th an atmospheric river fed moisture into a powerful jet steam along the front and brought an extended period of moderate rain along with occasional heavy rain due to embedded thunderstorms. ||Preceding this event, April and May were cool and wet, with above normal precipitation and below normal te…
Flood · Jun 12, 2022. On the weekend of June 11th and 12th, a stationary front set up across northwestern Wyoming. On June 12th into June 13th an atmospheric river fed moisture into a powerful jet steam along the front and brought an extended period of moderate rain along with occasional heavy rain due to embedded thunderstorms. ||Preceding this event, April and May were cool and wet, with above normal precipitation and below normal te…
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2019. Slow moving thunderstorms brought an average of three quarters of an inch of rain in only 20 minutes along with large amounts of small hail on the late afternoon of July 14th. There were many instances of street flooding around Powell, Wyoming with many businesses, houses and the animal shelter flooded. Local water cleanup companies reported 50 calls for water cleanup, especially for flooded basements.
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 Park 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.