42 flood insurance claims·$298,445 paid·5 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 Perry 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 and stream flooding dominates Perry County, accounting for 56 events over the last 30 years compared to 26 flash flood events, which have caused 3 deaths. Severe weather patterns frequently drive these conditions, as demonstrated on May 16, 2020, when a northward-moving warm front and stacked low pressure system brought heavy rains and thunderstorms that caused areal flooding across the county. Heavy rain from a surface low along a cold front also caused isolated flooding near Tell City on September 3, 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood claims span multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A have recorded 25 claims with an average payout of $12,060 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Meanwhile, properties designated as Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $1,844 and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches, and Zone X properties recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $1,853 and an average recorded water depth of 24 inches. Zone UNKNOWN accounted for 4 claims averaging $1,032 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 1 claim averaging $1,330 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and unshaded Zone X areas, where claim frequencies and average payout amounts are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Perry County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
33 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 8 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 8 claims and $112,219 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Perry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 5 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 Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 12, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
82 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 56 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2020 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Feb 19, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Feb 17, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2020. During a time without anything more than a moist atmosphere and cold pool outflows, thunderstorms developed and produced heavy rainfall near the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana over to north-central Kentucky. Flash flooding resulted in one Indiana town.
Flood · May 16, 2020. Southern Indiana sat to the east of a stacked low that was positioned over eastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. A warm front stretched east form this low pressure system to the Mid-Atlantic. As this front moved northward through Indiana to usher in warmer temperatures and saturated air, it brought heavy rains and thunderstorms to Perry County, Indiana which resulted in areal flooding and isolated wind damage.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2020. Early on September 3rd, a surface low embedded along a cold front moved across Southern Indiana. This brought areas of heavy rain and cooler temperatures to the Lower Ohio Valley. While most of the issues with flooding occurred in Kentucky, isolated flooding observed near Tell City.
Flood · Feb 22, 2018. Repeated rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall across the entire Ohio River basin totaled between 8 to 9 inches across southern Indiana from February 15 to February 28. These totals were generally 7+ inches, or 200 to 400% of normal values for mid to late February. The large areal extent of the excessive rainfall led to significant rises on area rivers, including the Ohio River. This resulted in numerous flash floo…
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 Perry 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.