Great Northern Railway Passenger and Freight Depot and Division Office · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Whitefish’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitefish gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #21 of 42 in Montana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then earthquakes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.
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 Whitefish 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
Earthquakes
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 Whitefish’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Whitefish, and Whitefish’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 13%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #21 of 42 in Montana; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Whitefish’s residents live in 5 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, Whitefish has less expected damage per building than 51% of Montana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.2M a year in losses across Whitefish: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Whitefish flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whitefish, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Whitefish isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Flathead County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Whitefish
Disasters that paid out in Whitefish itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Whitefish), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Flathead County has had 8 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Flathead County, 2000–2003.
Old photos of Whitefish after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Whitefish archive →Get ready for what Whitefish 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Whitefish
Is Whitefish at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitefish has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #21 of 42 in Montana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and earthquakes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Whitefish flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Whitefish since 2018, $10K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Whitefish 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 Flathead County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Whitefish?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Whitefish’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 Whitefish?
By FEMA money that reached Whitefish, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): 1 households applied for aid, $5K approved.
Is Whitefish at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Whitefish’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whitefish.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Whitefish’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.