489 flood insurance claims·$9.7M paid·1 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 Howard 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 equally dominate the local flood character, with 16 recorded flood events and 16 flash flood events in the NOAA Storm Events Database over the last 30 years. Slow-moving storms brought rain totals as high as 6 inches on June 14, 2025, closing numerous roads, causing severe flooding on the south side of Kokomo, and leading to minor flooding along the Wildcat Creek basin and the upper Wabash and upper White rivers. Severe weather on May 28, 2019, also produced flash flooding across northern portions of central Indiana.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 380 filings, an average payout of $24,251, and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. However, properties in lower-risk zones also experience losses. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 43 claims with an average payout of $30,361 and an average water depth of 4 inches, Zone X_SHADED recorded 30 claims with an average payout of $18,196 and an average water depth of 14 inches, and Zone X recorded 22 claims with an average payout of $21,709 and an average water depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas where historical claims demonstrate a clear risk of property damage from rising water.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
16% of Howard County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
453 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 13 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 115 claims and $5.5M 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Howard County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Mar 31, 2023 |
| 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.
32 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2025 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2017 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | $500 |
— = 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.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2019. A band of showers and thunderstorms developed and pushed across northern portions of central Indiana during the late afternoon and evening of May the 28th. These storms produced large hail, damaging thunderstorms wind gusts, and flash flooding.
Flood · Jun 19, 2019. A wide band of showers and thunderstorms pushed northeast across central Indiana during the afternoon of June 19th. Some of the heavier storms impacted Hamilton County on the north side of Indianapolis. Water rescues occurred.
Flash Flood · May 20, 2017. Scattered thunderstorms developed over west central and north central Indiana Saturday evening along a northward-moving warm front. A couple of the storms became severe with numerous wall clouds and funnel clouds. One storm produced a brief tornado in the town of Forest in northeast Clinton County, causing significant damage to a fire station and a pole barn. Another storm produced a brief tornado in Boone County.…
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 Howard 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.