1,562 flood insurance claims·$53.9M paid·12 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
From the National Weather Service, checked just now. Every active flood alert in the U.S. →
...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Florida...
St Johns River Near Sanford affecting Seminole County.
.Heavy rainfall has caused river levels on the St. Johns near Sanford to rise in Action Stage. The river is forecast to climb into Minor flood stage this weekend with a continued rise through Minor flood stage anticipated through next week.
For the St. Johns River...including Sanford...Minor flooding is forecast.
WHAT. Minor flooding is forecast.
WHERE. St Johns River near Sanford.
WHEN. Until further notice.
IMPACTS. At 6.2 feet, Water completely surrounds many homes in the Stone Island and Still Brook subdivisions. Pool enclosures and patios become flooded. Water covers many of the roads. Flooding occurs on Enterprise Road and in the Bethel Loop subdivision.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS. - At 10:30 AM EST Saturday the stage was 5.3 feet. - Bankfull stage is 4.2 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise above flood stage tomorrow morning and continue rising to 6.2 feet early Wednesday afternoon. Additional rises are possible thereafter. - Flood stage is 5.5 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
What to do.
Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas.
Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.
Additional information is available at www.weather.gov.
The next statement will be issued Sunday morning at 1145 AM EST.
...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Florida...
St Johns River Near Above Lake Harney affecting Seminole County.
.Heavy rainfall has caused river levels on the St. Johns near Geneva Above Lake Harney to rise into Moderate flood stage. A steady rise within Moderate flood stage is forecast to continue through this weekend and into early next week. River levels may approach Major flood stage late next week.
For the St. Johns River...including Above Lake Harney...Moderate flooding is forecast.
WHAT. Moderate flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast.
WHERE. St Johns River near Above Lake Harney.
WHEN. Until further notice.
IMPACTS. At 9.5 feet, Water begins to move into homes in low lying areas along the river. Flooding around the Black Hammock area near Lake Jesup.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS. - At 10:30 AM EST Saturday the stage was 9.1 feet. - Bankfull stage is 6.0 feet. - Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 10:30 AM EST Saturday was 9.1 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to 9.6 feet Thursday morning. Additional rises are possible thereafter. - Flood stage is 8.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
What to do.
Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas.
Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.
Additional information is available at www.weather.gov.
The next statement will be issued Sunday morning at 1130 AM EST.
| River gauge | Now | Forecast |
|---|---|---|
| St. Johns River near Sanford | Near flood stage (5.3 ft) | Minor flooding |
Is your address in the flood zone? Search it above for FEMA’s zone and base flood elevation. A new flood insurance policy usually takes 30 days to start (NFIP rule; exceptions include a policy bought when closing a mortgage), so one bought during a flood generally won’t cover it. Homeowners policies don’t cover flood.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Seminole County, Florida. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flooding in Seminole County is primarily driven by tropical storms, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall events, with floods, tropical storms, and flash floods accounting for the majority of recorded storm events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include major weather systems such as Hurricane Helene in September 2024 and Hurricane Milton in October 2024, which brought severe winds, outer rainbands, and widespread flooding to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrates that flood risk extends across multiple zones, with high concentrations of claims occurring outside of traditional high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 923 claims with an average payout of $59,064 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X records 551 claims with an average payout of $45,010 and an average recorded water depth of 22 inches. Additional claims are documented in Zone X_UNSHADED, Zone X_SHADED, and unknown zones, with average water depths ranging from 1 to 3 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X, as these areas have experienced the highest volume of insurance claims and significant average water depths during past flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Seminole County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,003 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 15 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2022, with 615 claims and $41.0M paid, the year of Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
19 NOAA storm reports from Seminole County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Florida flood stories →
39 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 12 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Milton | Oct 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 23, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 9, 2024 | $3.0M |
| Flood | Oct 9, 2024 | $27.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 29, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 28, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Sep 28, 2022 | $241.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 between 45 - 55 mph…
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 tornado outbreak across…
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 tornado outbreak across…
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 tornado outbreak across…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Seminole County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.