Enter any address in Manatee County, Florida to see its FEMA flood zone
Flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes has been the most frequent type of flood event in Manatee County over the last 30 years, with 18 tropical storm events and 5 hurricane events recorded. For example, Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9, 2024, bringing significant wind and storm surge. Flash flooding events also occur, with 13 recorded in the same period.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows that Zone A, which has no base flood elevation specified, has had the highest number of claims at 8,017, with an average payout of $60,570 and an average water depth of 3.0 feet. Zone V, coastal areas prone to high-velocity wave action, had 659 claims with an average payout of $35,329 and an average water depth of 1.5 feet. Properties in Zone A and Zone V, as well as those in lower-lying areas without adequate elevation, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
46 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Manatee County, Florida has recorded 80 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 13 flash floods and 35 river or area floods. The county has received 50 federal disaster declarations, 4 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1968–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Milton | Hurricane | Oct 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Helene | Hurricane | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Hurricane | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Idalia | Tropical Storm | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Hurricane | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Nicole | Tropical Storm | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 23, 2022 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 17, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 28, 2022 | 1.00B (4 deaths) |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 28, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 26, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 17, 2022 | 50.00K |
Flash Flood — Oct 9, 2024
Hurricane Milton made landfall along the west-central Florida coast near Siesta Key at 7:30 PM EST on October 9th as a major, Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and a minimum pressure of 954 mb. 2 days prior to landfall on October 7th, Milton reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph and a minimum pressure of 897 mb, m...
Storm Surge/Tide — Oct 9, 2024
Hurricane Milton made landfall along the west-central Florida coast near Siesta Key at 7:30 PM EST on October 9th as a major, Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and a minimum pressure of 954 mb. 2 days prior to landfall on October 7th, Milton reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph and a minimum pressure of 897 mb, m...
Hurricane (Typhoon) — Oct 9, 2024
Hurricane Milton made landfall along the west-central Florida coast near Siesta Key at 7:30 PM EST on October 9th as a major, Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and a minimum pressure of 954 mb. 2 days prior to landfall on October 7th, Milton reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph and a minimum pressure of 897 mb, m...
Tropical Storm — Aug 4, 2024
Hurricane Debby made landfall north of the local area along the Big Bend region of Florida near Steinhatchee around 7 AM EST on August 5th as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and a minimum pressure of 979 mb. Despite Debby���s track west of the Florida peninsula, impacts overspread the area from coastal locations spreading inland.|Storm surge affected the imme...
Tropical Storm — Aug 30, 2023
Hurricane Idalia made landfall just to the north of the local area near Keaton Beach, FL in Taylor county in Florida's Big Bend as a category 3 hurricane and brought devastating storm surge and wind impacts all along the west Florida coast, especially in closer vicinity to the landfall area across the Nature Coast. Storm surge flooding reached into homes and businesses as far south as Lee count...
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 Manatee 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 Manatee 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.