12 flood insurance claims·$209,674 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 Scott 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 from heavy summer thunderstorms and stalled frontal systems dominates the flood risk profile in Scott County, Indiana. Over a thirty-year period, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 18 flash flood events compared to 4 general flood events. Significant episodes include a slow-moving front in December 2015 that dropped 1 to 3 inches of rain on saturated grounds, and a stalled cold front in July 2021 that produced isolated wind damage and flash flooding along the Interstate 65 corridor. Additional widespread heavy rainfall occurred in February 2018, when totals of 8 to 9 inches led to significant river rises and numerous flash flood reports including road closures.
Federal flood insurance data demonstrates that financial losses are concentrated in specific hazard areas. Properties in FEMA Zone A account for the highest average payouts at $30,480 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, followed by properties in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $8,619 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded lower impacts, averaging $938 in payouts with an average water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and unmapped or unknown zones should pay the most attention to flood risk and mitigation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 1993, with 3 claims and $9,635 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Scott County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Feb 29, 2012 |
| 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 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 24, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 27, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Dec 27, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2015 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2021. On July 8th, a cold front dropped south through southern Indiana in a saturated environment. Even with moderate instability and shear values, severe thunderstorms were able to produce wind damage across southern Indiana along the Interstate 65 corridor. In the following days, the front stalled and remained in the area causing isolated wind damage and flash flooding in the same part of Indiana.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2018. On the second day of heavy rain across southern Indiana, a quasi-stationary boundary was draped across central Kentucky. As a system moved east through central Missouri. storms moved in from the west. These storms resulted in many reports of wind damage as well as some flooding.
Flash Flood · Feb 24, 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…
Flash Flood · Dec 27, 2015. A slow moving front combined with very moist air from the Gulf of Mexico resulted in moderate to heavy rain with some thunderstorms during the morning hours December 27th. This rain, which totaled 1 to locally 3 inches, fell on top of already wet and saturated grounds from recent heavy rainfall events, produced localized flooding and flash flooding for portions of the area.
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 Scott 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.