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Natural hazards · Lake Stevens

Lake Stevens, WA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lake Stevens comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1980. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Lake Stevens?

46
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lake Stevens to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes48%Inland flooding40%Heat waves6%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Lake Stevens faces

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

Earthquakes

48% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

40% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis
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 Lake Stevens flood?

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

3paid claims since 1980
$17Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
19802026

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. Lake Stevens 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

2homes raised above flood level
1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Lake Stevens

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Lake Stevens itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Lake Stevens.

Brought FEMA money into Lake StevensDeclared for Snohomish County only
2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

7 households applied for aid $19K aid approved
2022

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

$22K to the City of Lake Stevens for repairs
2015

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

$16K to the City of Lake Stevens for repairs
2015

Severe Windstorm

$26K to the City of Lake Stevens for repairs
2014

Flooding and Mudslides

5 households applied for aid $6K aid approved
2012

Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

$26K to the City of Lake Stevens for repairs
2009

Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $9K aid approved
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow

$33K to the City of Lake Stevens for repairs
2006

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

4 households applied for aid $8K aid approved $25K to the City of Lake Stevens for repairs
Snohomish County has had 33 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Lake Stevens

Lake Stevens and the towns around it

Machias: High, mostly inland floodingCavalero: High, mostly inland floodingBunk Foss: High, mostly inland floodingLake Cassidy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFobes Hill: High, mostly earthquakesMarysville: High, mostly earthquakesLochsloy: Very high, mostly inland floodingSisco Heights: Moderate, mostly earthquakesLake Stevens: Moderate, mostly earthquakes Lake StevensMachiasCavaleroBunk FossLake Cassidy
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Machiasmostly inland floodingHigh
Cavaleromostly inland floodingHigh
Bunk Fossmostly inland floodingHigh
Lake Stevensmostly earthquakesModerate
Lake Cassidymostly inland floodingModerate
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. Lake Stevens covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lake Stevens’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lake Stevens. 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 Lake Stevens total about $7.0M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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