305 flood insurance claims·$3.7M 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 Madison 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.
Standard river flooding and flash flooding from summer storms define the primary flood hazards in Madison County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 45 flood events and 23 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Slow-moving storm systems frequently produce heavy rainfall exceeding 6 inches. For example, a complex of storms on July 17, 2022, caused widespread flooding and pockets of flash flooding across Madison and Delaware counties. Similarly, slow-moving thunderstorms pushed across central Madison County on July 5, 2019, resulting in observed flash flooding in a northern Anderson suburb.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data show that properties in high-risk Zone A have experienced the highest volume of claims at 203, with an average payout of $13,405 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. However, properties outside designated high-risk zones also sustain damage; Zone X_UNSHADED properties recorded 41 claims with an average payout of $23,343 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X properties logged 26 claims averaging $27,753 with an average water depth of 3 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals in Zone A and Zone X variants should pay close attention to these localized flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of Madison County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
264 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 5 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 50 claims and $421,860 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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 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, Flooding, And Tornadoes | May 30, 2008 |
| Snow | Feb 12, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
68 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 45 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 14, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jul 8, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Nov 18, 2017 | $3,500 |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2015 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2015 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Jul 17, 2022. A complex of storms moved over portions of Madison and Delaware county causing widespread flooding and pockets of flash flooding. The rain fell over the course of several hours with amounts of over 6 inches in spots. Conditions had been fairly dry in the days leading up which limited the extent of flash flooding.
Flood · Jul 8, 2020. During the afternoon hours, a series of thunderstorms moved across north central Indiana. A few of these storms became severe and produced isolated wind damage to portions of Howard and Tipton counties. Most storms remained sub-severe and had limited impacts.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2019. A band of very slow moving thunderstorms pushed east-southeast across central portions of Madison County during the afternoon of July the 5th. Flash flooding was observed in a northern Anderson suburb.
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 Madison 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.