378 flood insurance claims·$3.8M 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 Elkhart 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.
Elkhart County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by general river and basin flooding rather than flash flooding, based on NOAA storm event records from the last thirty years showing 13 flood events compared to 6 flash flood events. Heavy rainfall events frequently drive this risk, as demonstrated on July 29, 2023, when slow-moving storm clusters developed along a stalled frontal boundary, and on June 26, 2021, when several rounds of heavy rain preceded severe weather lines.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located within FEMA Zone A carry the heaviest historical burden, accounting for 257 claims with an average payout of $16,860 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. While properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X, unknown zones, and Zone X overall experience fewer claims, they still report payouts ranging from an average of $2,906 to $6,993 and average water depths between 2 and 12 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A, where claim volume and financial loss are highest, while remaining aware that moderate flood risks extend into Zone X and unshaded areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Elkhart County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
340 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 4 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 2018, with 112 claims and $2.5M paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Elkhart County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 2018 |
| 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 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Winter Storm 12/23/98 | Jan 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 6 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 26, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 20, 2018 | $1.2M |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2008 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2008 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 19, 2025. An Mesoscale Convective Vortex moved through the US 30 corridor resulting in flooding rain on its northern edge. The Northern Indiana NWS office recorded 0.72 of rain in just under 15 minutes. Rain totals of 3 to nearly 5 inches was common in La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, De Kalb, and Noble Counties.
Flood · Jul 29, 2023. Storms developed along a stalled frontal boundary on the evening of July 28th. These storms developed in clusters and were slow moving with heavy rain. They also produced sporadic wind damage across northwest Indiana. An EF0 tornado also occurred in Cass County.
Flood · Jun 26, 2021. Several rounds of heavy rain in the days leading up to the severe weather on 26th. Some areas experienced flooding. Two lines of strong storms then swept through the northern and western portions of the CWA from 3p-9p. Several storms in the first line exhibited rotation. A few funnel clouds were reported but no confirmed tornadoes. The second line had mainly straight-line winds.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2019. Weak, low amplitude southwest flow short wave kicked out of Missouri during the day. A 50 knot southwesterly low level jet developed Friday evening and resulted in continued warm/moist advection in pre-frontal environment. Upper level jet dynamics also became more favorable by Friday evening in broad right entrance region of upper level jet. PWATs again with this event were highly anomalous for late September, i…
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 Elkhart 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.