4 flood insurance claims·$1,516 paid·2 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Blackford County, Indiana. 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.
The worst year was 1993, with 1 claims and $1,516 paid.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Blackford County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 5, 2014 |
| Snow | Feb 12, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Aug 26, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 4, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 12, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2003 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 1998 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 1998 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2014. A weak upper level system dropped southeast across the region. A stationary boundary extended west to east across the area. Three rounds of thunderstorms developed either across the area or upstream in Illinois and tracked southeast along the front. Precipitable water exceeded 2 inches allowing for a very moist atmosphere and efficient rain producing thunderstorms. The first round produced isolated severe weather…
Flood · Feb 28, 2011. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed and moved across portions of Northern Indiana. One to three inches of rain fell across the area with localized higher amounts. This resulted in some roads becoming impassable due to flood waters. The event continued into March when a few rivers went over their banks.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2011. A weak surface trough and low pressure system tracking along it allowed for thunderstorms to develop across portions of northeastern Indiana. Weak flow parallel to the trough and redevelopment of thunderstorms produced rainfall rates of one to two inches per hour. This caused areas of flooding and flash flooding. No injuries were reported.
Flash Flood · Aug 5, 1998. Synoptic and Mesoscale conditions for August 5th...A large upper trough was anchored over the central plains the morning of August 4th with a surface reflection across southeastern Iowa. A warm front stretched from this low across northern Indiana which provided the low level focus for shower and thunderstorm development the morning of the 4th. The airmass south of this front was tropical in nature with surface…
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 Blackford 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.