98 flood insurance claims·$644,702 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 Boone 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.
Flash flooding and river flooding from summer storms dominate the historical flood record in Boone County, with NOAA recording 36 flood events and 17 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Slow-moving storms and heavy rainfall frequently drive these incidents, as demonstrated on June 14, 2025, when multiple rounds of rain totals as high as 6 inches closed numerous roads and caused minor flooding along local river basins. Similarly, training thunderstorms on October 21, 2020, delivered rain amounts exceeding 3 inches in parts of central Indiana, producing minor flooding.
NFIP claims data shows that properties in Zone A carry the heaviest burden, accounting for 77 claims with an average payout of $10,030 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. By comparison, Zone X properties recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $19,445 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 4 claims averaging $779 with an average depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims averaging $2,996 with an average depth of 0 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 1 claim with a $0 payout and an average depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and river-adjacent areas should pay the closest attention to flood risk given the higher concentration and depth of historical claims in those zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Boone County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
80 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 11 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 2013, with 49 claims and $504,666 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Boone 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 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 30, 2008 |
| Snow | Feb 12, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Aug 26, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 36 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Oct 21, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 5, 2019 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Sep 25, 2018 | $500 |
| Flood | Nov 18, 2017 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2016 | $500 |
| Flood | Apr 9, 2015 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 14, 2025. Multiple rounds of slow-moving storms impacted much of north central Indiana during the late overnight and morning hours of June 14th with rain totals as high as 6 inches. Numerous roads were closed with the most severe flooding noted on the south side of Kokomo. This flooding led to minor flooding along the Wildcat creek basin and the upper Wabash and upper White rivers.
Flood · Oct 21, 2020. During the early morning hours of October 21st, a series of training thunderstorms brought heavy rain to portions of central Indiana. The heaviest rain fell across an axis generally just north of I-70 with rain amounts in excess of 3 inches in spots. This lead to a few areas of minor flooding with little impacts noted.
Flash Flood · Jun 5, 2019. Several places saw damaging winds topple trees into roads, cars, and a house. The storms started to develop over White and Benton counties with a general motion to the south east. By the time the storms reached Tippecanoe county they had strengthened enough to become severe. Several trees fell over onto yards and cars.
Flood · Jun 5, 2019. Several places saw damaging winds topple trees into roads, cars, and a house. The storms started to develop over White and Benton counties with a general motion to the south east. By the time the storms reached Tippecanoe county they had strengthened enough to become severe. Several trees fell over onto yards and cars.
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 Boone 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.