Natural hazards · Chain Lake

Chain Lake, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chain Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 87 claims here since 1982.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Chain Lake?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chain Lake to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding56%Earthquakes37%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Chain Lake faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Earthquakes

37% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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

Flood insurance claims

Does Chain Lake flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chain Lake, from FEMA’s records.

87paid claims since 1982

$1.6Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19822026

Biggest named events

Torrential rain: 4 claims, $29K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Chain Lake 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.

Disasters that hit Chain Lake

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Snohomish County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chain Lake itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Chain LakeDeclared for Snohomish County only

Snohomish County has had 33 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Chain Lake

Chain Lake and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Monroemostly earthquakesVery high

Woods Creekmostly inland floodingVery high

Chain Lakemostly inland floodingVery high

Monroe Northmostly inland floodingHigh

Three Lakesmostly inland floodingHigh

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Chain Lake covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chain Lake’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Chain Lake. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Chain Lake total about $2.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.