454 flood insurance claims·$12.4M 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 Johnson 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.
River and creek flooding alongside flash flooding from heavy rainfall dominate Johnson County, supported by 41 recorded flood events and 18 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy multi-day rainfall systems have repeatedly driven significant water accumulation, as demonstrated by an April 2025 event that brought 2 to 4.5 inches of rain following previous accumulation, and a February 2019 event where over 4 inches of rain produced flash flooding and extensive river and stream flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk zones. Zone A accounts for the largest impact with 347 claims averaging $34,799 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. However, properties outside designated high-risk areas also face vulnerability; Zone X properties recorded 73 claims averaging $27,611 with an average water depth of 10 inches, and Zone X_SHADED properties logged 7 claims averaging $35,258 with an average water depth of 12 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED properties recorded 8 claims averaging $27,259 with an average depth of 27 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 19 claims averaging $1,332 with an average depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as structures situated in Zone X and shaded or unshaded variations where moderate to deep localized flooding has historically resulted in substantial insurance claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Johnson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
362 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 2008, with 274 claims and $11.0M 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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Johnson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1990, 2 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 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 5, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 30, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 41 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 7, 2019 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 7, 2019 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2017 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2017 | $500 |
| Flood | Jun 26, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2015 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 22, 2013 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 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.
Flash Flood · Feb 7, 2019. A low pressure system moved into the forecast area bringing plentiful moisture and produced thunderstorms and waves of moderate to heavy rain to central Indiana around February 7th. The storms produced a tornado in a strong shear and low instability environment. Over 4 inches of rain fell in a couple of days in some areas. The heavy rain produced flash flooding, and extensive flooding developed along rivers and st…
Flood · Jul 11, 2017. Northwest flow in the upper atmosphere allowed multiple waves to move across the area. The atmosphere had a high moisture content and was unstable. The waves interacted with the moisture and instability to produce the severe weather and heavy rain. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms moved over the same locations, creating the flooding problems. Several rounds of thunderstorms, from July 10th through the 13th, brough…
Flood · Jun 26, 2015. The last widespread rains of the month were the result of a developing low pressure area that moved through the state on the 26th and early on the 27th. Numerous flooding problems developed quickly across mainly northern sections of central Indiana. People were rescued from cars and homes were flooded in the Muncie area and other areas of east central Indiana. Much of the state along and north of Interstate 70 rec…
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 Johnson 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.