63 flood insurance claims·$840,669 paid
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 Cass 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 thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Cass County, Indiana, with NOAA records documenting 14 flash flood events and 9 flood events over the last 30 years, including one recorded death.
Weather patterns involving stationary boundaries and upper-level waves have repeatedly driven these hazards, such as a complex of storms on July 11, 2017, that brought sporadic wind damage and areal flooding, and a convective system on May 31, 2013, that produced localized flooding issues.
NFIP claim data indicates that property owners should pay close attention regardless of mapped zone designation. Properties in high-risk Zone A account for the highest claim volume with 34 filings averaging 10 inches of recorded water depth and $9,862 per payout, while Zone X properties experienced 9 claims with an average recorded water depth of 16 inches and $66,128 in average payouts. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded 6 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and $31,792 in average payouts, and shaded Zone X properties recorded 6 claims averaging 3 inches of water depth and $3,118 in payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Cass County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
46 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 9 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 2003, with 15 claims and $88,145 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Cass County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 7, 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 | Jul 4, 2003 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 11, 2017 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2017 | $500,000 |
| Flood | May 31, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2009 | — |
| Flood | Jan 8, 2008 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2007 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 11, 2017. Synoptic quasi-stationary boundary was located across the forecast area, initially across northern parts during the morning and then sagging south as an upper level wave moved into the region during the late afternoon and evening hours. A morning complex of storms caused sporadic wind damage as well as some areal flooding. Subsidence behind the system kept any further development of storms limited until the approa…
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2017. Synoptic quasi-stationary boundary was located across the forecast area, initially across northern parts during the morning and then sagging south as an upper level wave moved into the region during the late afternoon and evening hours. A morning complex of storms caused sporadic wind damage as well as some areal flooding. Subsidence behind the system kept any further development of storms limited until the approa…
Flood · May 31, 2013. A convective complex developed across central Illinois late in the afternoon of May 31st, and grew slightly upscale into northwest Indiana late in the evening, producing isolated severe weather and some flooding issues. The initial complex weakened and produced an outflow boundary across southern third of the area from the late evening hours of the 21st into the morning hours of June 1st. Convection continued to r…
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2010. A stationary boundary and abundant moisture allowed for thunderstorms to develop. The main threat was heavy rainfall from the stronger storms, which caused flooding in some areas.
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 Cass 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.