Jefferson County flood history
Washington · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 53 flood insurance claims in Jefferson County, Washington since 1978. The NFIP paid $623,025 on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2022, with 5.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 10 claims, and the average paid claim was $25,555.
20% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 1.0% of homes in Jefferson County, Washington had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (193 of 19,139 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 17% (108 of 631).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 15 flood-related disaster declarations covering Jefferson County, Washington. The most recent was DR-4906-WA (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared April 7, 2026.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | $0 |
| 2022 | 5 | $124,891 |
| 2021 | 1 | $0 |
| 2019 | 1 | $0 |
| 2018 | 1 | $0 |
| 2017 | 1 | $2,883 |
| 2016 | 2 | $4,132 |
| 2015 | 2 | $160,849 |
| 2014 | 5 | $47,964 |
| 2012 | 1 | $16,324 |
| 2010 | 1 | $0 |
| 2009 | 1 | $18,045 |
| 2007 | 5 | $65,385 |
| 2003 | 3 | $24,300 |
| 2002 | 2 | $3,294 |
| 2001 | 1 | $28,158 |
| 1997 | 2 | $19,417 |
| 1996 | 1 | $19,487 |
| 1995 | 1 | $0 |
| 1994 | 3 | $16,671 |
| 1993 | 1 | $0 |
| 1986 | 1 | $1,753 |
| 1983 | 1 | $2,694 |
| 1982 | 5 | $16,946 |
| 1980 | 2 | $33,767 |
| 1979 | 3 | $16,065 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storm | 2007 | 5 | $65,385 |
| Flooding | 1996 | 1 | $19,487 |
| Flooding | 1979 | 1 | $13,484 |
| Flooding | 1997 | 1 | $8,018 |
| Flooding | 1986 | 1 | $1,753 |
| 2025-12-AtmosphericRiver | 2025 | 1 | $0 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 193 residential NFIP policies in Jefferson County, against 19,139 residential buildings (1.0%). Of the 631 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 108 have an NFIP policy (17%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4906-WA | Apr 7, 2026 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3629-WA | Dec 12, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4775-WA | Apr 28, 2024 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4682-WA | Jan 12, 2023 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4650-WA | Mar 29, 2022 | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding | No |
| DR-4635-WA | Jan 5, 2022 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4593-WA | Apr 8, 2021 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4418-WA | Mar 4, 2019 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, Tornado | No |
| DR-4253-WA | Feb 2, 2016 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides, and A T | No |
| DR-4249-WA | Jan 15, 2016 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-1817-WA | Jan 30, 2009 | Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1734-WA | Dec 8, 2007 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-1671-WA | Dec 12, 2006 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-1641-WA | May 17, 2006 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tidal Surge, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-1499-WA | Nov 7, 2003 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of Washington.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.