45 flood insurance claims·$407,947 paid·4 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 Spencer 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.
Flooding in Spencer County, Indiana is characterized predominantly by general floods, with 57 recorded over the last 30 years compared to 32 flash flood events. Recent activity illustrates this pattern, including heavy rainfall and high water from slow-moving storms and converging weather systems recorded in February, July, and October.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in Zone A have experienced the highest frequency of claims, with 29 claims averaging $13,138 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Claims have also been recorded in Zone X with an average payout of $12,250 and an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED with an average payout of $4,287 and an average water depth of 39 inches. Minor claims have occurred in Zone X_UNSHADED and unknown zones.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located within FEMA-designated Zone A and shaded Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risk, as these areas account for the vast majority of historical insurance claims and face significant average water depths during high-water events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Spencer County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
35 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 18 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 1997, with 26 claims and $160,583 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Spencer County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1979, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| 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 |
| Snow | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Jul 3, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
89 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 57 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Oct 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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…
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 · Feb 16, 2025. Two waves of heavy rainfall (2-7) over the Ohio, Tennessee, and Green River Valleys on the 15th resulted in minor flooding along portions of the Ohio River, including the Evansville and Henderson areas. Minor and brief moderate flooding occurred along the Ohio River near Owensboro where the river crested at 44.1 feet just above the moderate flood level of 44 feet.
Flood · Feb 16, 2025. An area of heavy rainfall spread northeast across southwest Indiana from late afternoon on the 15th through the evening and into the early morning hours on the 16th. Total rainfall of 2-5 was reported across the region with the highest amounts from Vanderburgh through Spencer counties. Flash flooding of streets, creeks, and low-lying areas from the Angel Mounds area in southeast Evansville eastward through Newbur…
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 Spencer 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.