Enter any address in Indian River County, Florida to see its FEMA flood zone
Flood events, including tropical storms and flash floods, are the most frequent types of severe weather impacting Indian River County. Recent events include Hurricane Milton in October 2024, which brought heavy rainfall and tornadoes to the region, and Hurricane Helene in September 2024, which caused tropical storm conditions along the coast.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $22,364 for 1.5 feet of water depth. Zone X_SHADED properties also show significant claims with higher average payouts ($21,774) for similar water depths. Properties in Zone V have the highest average payouts ($37,925) but with lower average water depths (1.1 ft). Homeowners in coastal areas, low-lying regions, and those without flood insurance or located in areas with higher flood risk designations should pay particular attention to flood preparedness.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
19 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Indian River County, Florida has recorded 27 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 6 flash floods and 10 river or area floods. The county has received 35 federal disaster declarations. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1977–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Milton | Hurricane | Oct 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Hurricane | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Nicole | Tropical Storm | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 23, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Ian | Hurricane | Sep 23, 2022 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Hurricane | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane | Aug 28, 2019 |
| Hurricane Irma | Hurricane | Sep 4, 2017 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 16, 2023 | 400.00K |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 29, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 28, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 27, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Nov 9, 2022 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Nov 9, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Jun 4, 2022 | 0.00K |
Tropical Storm — Sep 26, 2024
Major Hurricane Helene paralleled the west coast of Florida about 100 miles offshore before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida near the city of Perry. The system's expansive wind field within its eastern periphery produced a period of tropical storm conditions, particularly in gusts, across much of east central Florida including its adjacent coastal waters. Peak wind gusts ranged...
Flash Flood — Oct 9, 2024
Hurricane Milton moved ashore the west-central Florida coast as a category 3 hurricane on Oct 9 around 1930EST. The system continued slowly in an east-northeast trajectory across central Florida, becoming a category 1 hurricane before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Canaveral. The outer rainbands of Milton overspread the Florida peninsula earlier in the day, leading to a prolific tor...
Tropical Storm — Oct 9, 2024
Hurricane Milton moved ashore the west-central Florida coast as a category 3 hurricane on Oct 9 around 1930EST. The system continued slowly in an east-northeast trajectory across central Florida, becoming a category 1 hurricane before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Canaveral. The outer rainbands of Milton overspread the Florida peninsula earlier in the day, leading to a prolific tor...
Flood — Nov 16, 2023
A low pressure system near the Florida peninsula brought strong gradient winds and flooding rainfall to east central Florida.
Storm Surge/Tide — Sep 29, 2022
After making landfall as a major hurricane in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa, Ian crossed the peninsula and into east central Florida (southern Osceola County) as a Category 1 Hurricane with estimated maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The system was downgraded to a tropical storm shortly thereafter and emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Canaveral. Ian's slow movement and large wind f...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Indian River County, Florida:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Indian River County, Florida that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.