74 flood insurance claims·$292,830 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 Sheridan 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 and river flooding from summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominate the flood profile of Sheridan County, supported by 12 flash flood events and 10 flood events over the last 30 years. Historical events illustrate these patterns, such as a slow-moving thunderstorm that produced flash flooding across western portions of the county in June 2015, and several days of heavy rainfall over the Big Horn Mountains that caused widespread flooding and major impacts along the foothills in May 2019. Heavy rain in May 2018 also caused the rapid rise of Big Goose Creek in Sheridan, resulting in numerous flooded basements and water flowing down adjacent streets.
Property owners and real estate professionals should pay the most attention to locations within mapped special flood hazard areas, as National Flood Insurance Program records show the highest claim counts and payouts are concentrated in Zone A with 45 claims averaging an $8,861 payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X properties also warrant attention, having recorded 19 claims with an average payout of $4,365 and an average water depth of 3 inches, alongside smaller claim numbers in unknown and shaded or unshaded Zone X variants.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Sheridan County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
47 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 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 1995, with 12 claims and $10,497 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 Sheridan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wyoming flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Elk Fire | Sep 28, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | May 18, 2011 |
| Little Goose Fire | Aug 12, 2007 |
| Wy - Tongue River Wildfire - 11/19/2003 | Nov 19, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides | May 29, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 28, 2019. Several days of heavy rainfall over the Big Horn Mountains and adjacent foothills resulted in widespread flooding and major impacts along the foothills of Sheridan County.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2019. A slow moving thunderstorm over portions of Sheridan County produced large hail, strong wind gusts, heavy rain along with some flash flooding.
Flood · May 29, 2018. Heavy rain on the 27th and 28th resulted in the rapid rise of Big Goose Creek in Sheridan. |This resulted in many flooded areas with numerous basements flooded, as well as water flowing down streets adjacent to the creek.
Flood · May 24, 2015. Heavy rains combined with snow melt out of the Big Horn Mountains brought flooding to portions of Sheridan.
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 Sheridan 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.