Photo: Sara goth · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lockwood than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lockwood gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #12 of 42 in Montana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then wildfire (20%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1997.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Lockwood faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Lockwood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lockwood, and Lockwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 20%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #12 of 42 in Montana; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lockwood’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Montana town has lower expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lockwood has less expected damage per building than 73% of Montana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Lockwood: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lockwood flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lockwood, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Yellowstone Flooding1 claim · $118K
Lockwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Yellowstone County.The storms Lockwood remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Yellowstone County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lockwood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19974 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms,ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding, declared for Yellowstone County
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Yellowstone County
- 20221 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm and Flooding, declared for Yellowstone County
Yellowstone County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Yellowstone County, 2006–2021.
Old photos of Lockwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lockwood archive →Lockwood and its neighbors
Lockwood is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Lockwood | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Lockwood faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lockwood
Is Lockwood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lockwood has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #12 of 42 in Montana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and wildfire (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lockwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Lockwood since 1997, $204K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Yellowstone Flooding (1).
Is Lockwood in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Yellowstone County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lockwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lockwood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Lockwood?
By flood claims, Yellowstone Flooding: 1 paid, $118K.
Is Lockwood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Lockwood’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lockwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lockwood’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.