259 flood insurance claims·$4.1M paid
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 Allen 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.
5% of Allen County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
110 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 2015, with 47 claims and $1.2M 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 Allen County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1965.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Aug 20, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 26, 1978 |
| Tornadoes & Severe Storms | Apr 14, 1965 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 16, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2014 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 11, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2007 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2004 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2020. Storms similar to previous day storms due to weak shear and strong instability. A few strong to severe storms over northwest Ohio with damaging wind gusts in the form of downbursts as well as torrential rainfall.
Flood · Apr 26, 2019. During the early morning hours of the 26th a large mesoscale complex moved from Indiana into western Ohio. Rainfall reports ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 inches, most of which fell over a 4 hour timeframe.
Flood · Jun 16, 2015. The edge of strong high pressure was situated over northwestern Ohio as a series of disturbances moved into the region. In addition, the remnants of a tropical system added to already abundant moisture to set the stage for isolated severe storms and several rounds of torrential rainfall for parts of northwestern Ohio. Rainfall rates of two to three inches per hour were common with the stronger cells, allowing 5 da…
Flash Flood · May 28, 2014. A weak trough was located across northwestern Ohio during the afternoon and evening hours. A moist, but marginally unstable atmosphere allowed for thunderstorms to develop and remain relatively stationary over the same areas. Local rainfall amounts of 2 to as much as over 6 inches fell across mainly Allen County, resulting in flash flooding. The flash flooding resulted in a small portion of Interstate 75 being clo…
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 Allen 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.