144 flood insurance claims·$2.2M 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 Posey 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.
Long-term NOAA records for Posey County, Indiana, show that standard riverine and general floods dominate the local hazard mix, accounting for 229 events compared to 32 flash floods over the past 30 years. Recent history illustrates these risks, including prolonged minor flooding along the Ohio River near Mt. Vernon caused by heavy rainfall between January 31 and February 15, 2025. Additionally, a slow-moving mesoscale convective system brought torrential rainfall rates to the region on July 19, 2025.
Federal insurance claims data indicates that properties situated in FEMA-designated Zone A face the highest concentration of risk, accounting for 108 claims with an average payout of $19,356 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties in Zone X, Zone X Unshaded, and zones of unknown designation have recorded fewer claims, with average water depths ranging from 2 to 3 inches and average payouts varying from $5,909 to $29,022.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A and areas near major waterways like the Ohio River, where historical claims and recorded water depths are significantly higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Posey County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
113 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 10 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 2011, with 44 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And.
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.
82 NOAA storm reports from Posey County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 12, 2008 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
261 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 229 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 12, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 10, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 30, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 8, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2025. As high pressure slowly crept northward towards the Quad State region, ridging remained over the middle Mississippi River Valley. A slow-moving MCS moved through the northeastern half of the Quad State midday to near sunset. CAPE rose to 1000-2000J/kg in Southwest Indiana with effective bulk shear around 30kts. Extremely high moisture content with precipitable water values of 2.25in resulted in torrential rainfall…
Flood · Jul 19, 2025. As high pressure slowly crept northward towards the Quad State region, ridging remained over the middle Mississippi River Valley. A slow-moving MCS moved through the northeastern half of the Quad State midday to near sunset. CAPE rose to 1000-2000J/kg in Southwest Indiana with effective bulk shear around 30kts. Extremely high moisture content with precipitable water values of 2.25in resulted in torrential rainfall…
Flood · Feb 12, 2025. Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall over the Green, Ohio, and Tennessee Valleys from January 31st through February 15th resulted in rising water levels on the Ohio River, with prolonged minor flooding around Newburgh, Mt Vernon, and J.T. Myers Dam. The minor flooding around J.T. Myers Dam continued into early March.
Flood · Feb 10, 2025. Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall over the Green, Ohio, and Tennessee Valleys from January 31st through February 15th resulted in rising water levels on the Ohio River, with prolonged minor flooding around Newburgh, Mt Vernon, and J.T. Myers Dam. The minor flooding around J.T. Myers Dam continued into early March.
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 Posey 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.