821 flood insurance claims·$7.4M 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 Vanderburgh 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.
Vanderburgh County experiences a flood risk characterized by a nearly even mix of riverine flooding and flash flooding from heavy rainfall events. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 79 flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 66 flash flood events. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall producing flash flooding of streets, creeks, and low-lying areas from southeast Evansville eastward in February 2025, as well as convective and frontal systems bringing tropical moisture and convergence zones near the Ohio River in October 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that flood risks extend across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A have experienced the highest impact with 433 claims, an average payout of $14,370, and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN recorded 181 claims averaging $3,023 with an average depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, areas outside high-risk zones also face vulnerability, with Zone X_UNSHADED recording 109 claims averaging $10,881 and an average water depth of 4 inches, Zone X recording 80 claims averaging $10,965 with an average water depth of 4 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recording 18 claims averaging $17,057 with an average water depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A due to the high frequency and severity of claims, while those in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas must also account for documented flood losses and standing water depths averaging four inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of Vanderburgh County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
560 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 7 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 1980, with 110 claims and $324,511 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.
78 NOAA storm reports from Vanderburgh County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1990, 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 Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 5, 2014 |
| 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 And Flooding | Sep 12, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
145 since 1996: 66 flash floods and 79 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Nov 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Feb 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
— = 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 · Nov 18, 2025. As a surface low pressure system moved into Missouri, a warm front lifted into northern portions of the Quad State region. Ahead of the front, a SW to NE band of showers and thunderstorms developed, pushing eastward through mid-morning. Brief heavy rain resulted in a couple inches of water ponding on one of the Lloyd Expressway exits. Precipitable water values were 1.3in and 925-850mb moisture transport was quite…
Flood · Jul 18, 2025. A surface boundary was positioned west to east across the Quad State during the early afternoon with convective activity increasing with daytime heating. Scattered convection primarily occurred south of the boundary mid to late afternoon. MLCAPE reached 2000-3000J/kg but effective bulk shear was very limited. Precipitable water values over 2 allowed for torrential rainfall rates. Training storm activity occurred n…
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 Vanderburgh 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.