24 flood insurance claims·$539,387 paid·3 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 Clay 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.
Clay County experiences a dominant flood character of river flooding and flash flooding driven by heavy rainfall. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 25 flood events and 20 flash flood events.
Recent occurrences illustrate these risks. In August 2023, slow-moving thunderstorms produced rainfall amounts exceeding 4 inches in spots, causing pockets of flooding. Earlier, in April 2025, a multi-day stretch of rain totaling 2 to 4.5 inches—following previous rainfall of 3 to 5 inches—led to widespread flash flooding and exacerbated creek and river flooding until main stem rivers reached major flood stage.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows impacts across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $25,900 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $20,336 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $67,208 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $14,440 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Homeowners in mapped high-risk riverine areas, unshaded zones, and areas with unknown flood designations should pay the closest attention to these recurring flood and flash flood hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 7 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 2008, with 9 claims and $322,762 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes.
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 Clay County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1959, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 5, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 30, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Jul 3, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 25 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Aug 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Oct 21, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2018 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2016 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2014 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2011 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 28, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. The final round of rain in a stretch of 4 days brought rain amounts of 2-4.5 inches of rain to central Indiana in addition to the 3-5 inches that had fallen. This led to additional widespread flash flooding and exacerbated ongoing creek and river flooding to a point that many main stem rivers ended up reaching major flood stage.
Flood · Aug 25, 2023. Two rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms moved through portions of central Indiana initially during the evening hours with a second round during the early overnight. The initial round brought isolated wind damage to areas around Knox county. Later into the overnight a second round of storms drifted southeast across the Indianapolis area causing additional damage. At times these thunderstorms moved very slow…
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 · Sep 8, 2018. The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon interacted with a surface front to produce widespread heavy rain across much of central Indiana. The moisture content of the atmosphere was very high. Precipitable water, a measure of moisture content in the atmosphere, is normally around 1 inch for early September in Indiana. Precipitable water amounts approached 2 inches for parts of the area on September 8th. Heavy rainfall…
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 Clay 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.