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Darrington - panoramioPhoto: Jake_T53 · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Darrington · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Darrington faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Darrington gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then landslides (20%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 72%Landslides 20%Earthquakes 5%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Washington · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2003 · $133K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 31 declared for Snohomish County

What stands out about Darrington’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 19.8% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way4 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Darrington 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

72%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Landslides

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Volcanic activity top 0% Wildfire Winter storms Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Ice storms Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesCold wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts landslides at 52% of Darrington’s expected losses. Landslides do little damage to buildings (19.8%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Darrington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Darrington, and Darrington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 20%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Darrington sits
Darrington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Darrington’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Landslides20%Earthquakes5%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Darrington: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Darrington’s 1,462 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Swede Heaven CDP (839 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Darrington flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Darrington, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2003
20032026
1
paid claims since 2003
$133K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$133K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Darrington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Snohomish County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Darrington

Disasters that paid out in Darrington itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Darrington), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$55K aid approved
  2. 2014Flooding and Mudslides509 households applied for aid$969K aid approved$11K to the Town of Darrington for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$10K to the Town of Darrington for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding30 households applied for aid$58K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DarringtonSnohomish County only

Snohomish County has had 31 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Snohomish County, 2022–2022.

Were you here?

Old photos of Darrington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Darrington archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Darrington faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Landslides
  • Watch for new cracks, tilting trees or suddenly muddy streams after heavy rain.
  • Stay off steep slopes in a downpour.
  • Leave if you hear rumbling upslope.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Darrington

Is Darrington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Darrington has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and landslides (20%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Darrington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Darrington since 2003, $133K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Darrington 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 Snohomish County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Darrington?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Darrington’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 Darrington?

By FEMA money that reached Darrington, Flooding and Mudslides (2014): 509 households applied for aid, $969K approved, and $11K to the Town of Darrington for repairs.

Is Darrington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Darrington’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Darrington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Darrington’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.