155 flood insurance claims·$1.4M 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 Adams County, Ohio. 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 summer thunderstorms and river flooding from stalled frontal boundaries dominate the flood profile of Adams County, Ohio. Over a 30-year period, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 61 general flood events and 60 flash flood events, which resulted in three deaths. Recent activity includes widespread flooding produced by a low-pressure system on April 2, 2024, and flash flooding caused by slow-moving thunderstorms on July 27, 2025, when a stationary front interacted with a warm and humid airmass.
Federal insurance data shows that flood claims span multiple zones, requiring attention from property owners across designated risk levels. Zone A accounts for the highest volume with 91 claims averaging a 16-inch recorded water depth and a $10,064 payout. Properties in Zone X_SHADED recorded 20 claims with an average water depth of 17 inches and a $9,530 payout, while Zone X recorded 18 claims with an average water depth of 5 inches and a $14,164 payout. Additionally, 26 claims were filed in areas with an unknown zone designation, averaging a 12-inch water depth and an $8,274 payout. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and shaded or unshaded Zone X areas where historical claims and standing water depths demonstrate measurable risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Adams County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
111 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 14 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 87 claims and $937,322 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Adams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 5, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
121 since 1996: 60 flash floods and 61 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2024 | $20,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Apr 2, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | $6,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2025. A weak cold front sagged south through the Great Lakes region, stalling out as a stationary front through the Ohio Valley. This boundary, combined with a very warm and humid airmass, sparked showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and into the evening hours on the 27th. Some of these storms produced damaging winds and heavy rainfall, which lead to instances of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Feb 16, 2025. A low pressure system brought heavy rainfall to the region as it moved through the Ohio Valley.
Flood · Apr 4, 2025. Widespread showers and thunderstorms occurred across the region as waves of low pressure moved east along a frontal boundary that was stalled out along the Ohio River.
Flash Flood · May 4, 2024. A stalled stationary front in southern Ohio sparked showers and thunderstorms.
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 Adams 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.