5 flood insurance claims·$0 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 Washakie 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.
Standard river floods and summer flash floods dominate the documented flood history in Washakie County, with NOAA records showing 12 standard floods and 6 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Persistent low pressure systems and heavy seasonal rainfall present recurring hazards, such as in May 2019 when one to three inches of rain caused minor flooding in Worland and Medicine Lodge State Park, along with two small mudslides in Ten Sleep Canyon. Flash flooding also occurs during intense seasonal storms, as demonstrated in August 2019 when over an inch of rain fell in 25 minutes in Worland, producing street flooding that backed into several buildings.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate minimal historical payouts across claims, though claims have been filed in both high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low-risk Zone X and Zone X Shaded areas, with recorded water depths averaging 1 inch or less. Property owners located near rural streams, mountain creeks, and urban drainage paths in communities like Worland should pay the closest attention to local flood risks, particularly during prolonged spring rain events and intense summer thunderstorms.
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 1988, with 1 claims and $0 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Washakie County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Wyoming flood stories →
5 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Jun 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | May 18, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides | May 29, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 4, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Feb 10, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Mar 7, 2014 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 4, 2023. A large area of persistent moderate rain caused fast rising streams and creeks, leading to minor flooding of rural roads across the southern Bighorn Mountains.
Flood · May 29, 2019. A combination of rain and snow melt brought minor flooding along the Ten Sleep Creek.
Flood · May 27, 2019. A persistent area of low pressure brought one to three inches of rain to portions of the eastern Big Horn Basin. The result was minor flooding in Worland and Medicine Lodge State Park. In Ten Sleep Canyon, two small mudslides occurred.
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2019. Numerous slow moving thunderstorms developed across central Wyoming and some became severe. On severe thunderstorm crossed US 20 26 in eastern Fremont County and brought ping pong ball size hail that damaged a pick up truck. Another storm produced a 62 mph near Linch in Johnson County. In Worland Wyoming, over an inch of rain and small hail fell in only 25 minutes and brought street flooding that backed into sever…
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 Washakie 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.