116 flood insurance claims·$892,293 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 Columbiana 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 dominates the flood character of Columbiana County, accounting for 47 out of 77 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 30 standard flood events.
Heavy rainfall events frequently threaten the area, as seen on July 1, 2023, when multiple rounds of thunderstorms with high precipitable water values dropped localized totals of 1.5 to 2.5 inches or higher, severely impacting East Liverpool with home damage. Similarly, training storms along a quasi-stationary frontal boundary produced 2 to 4 inches of rain across the region on June 20, 2019.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in high-risk Zone A have filed 50 claims with an average payout of $10,177 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. However, residents in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas should also pay close attention, having recorded a combined 57 claims with average water depths ranging from 4 to 16 inches and average payouts reaching up to $13,729.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
40% of Columbiana County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
84 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 2004, with 39 claims and $488,425 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides.
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.
29 NOAA storm reports from Columbiana County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslide | May 27, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 18, 2004 |
| Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, And High Winds | Jul 21, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
77 since 1996: 47 flash floods and 30 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2023 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2023 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2018 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2023. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms, first from a decaying morning mesoscale convective system and later forming on outflow from earlier activity, produced heavy rainfall on July 1st. Instability was not high, but precipitable water values of 1.8 to 2.0 inches supported efficient rainfall. Localized totals of 1.5 to 2.5 inches, locally higher, produced flash flooding in several areas. Particularly hard hit was East L…
Flash Flood · May 29, 2019. The risk for severe storms continued May 29th as necessary ingredients stayed in place. An unstable/ buoyant atmosphere, wind shear to sustain updrafts, and large scale |ascension with a crossing shortwave were all present on May 29th. With a stalled boundary, and PWATS pushing up to 2 inches, flash flooding was also a concern throughout the entire day.
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2019. A quasi-stationary frontal boundary set up across Ohio and Pennsylvania on the 17th, and wavered about the region until it was kicked off to the east by a stronger frontal boundary late on the 20th. Flooding and flash flooding remained a concern through the period given an ideal setup for training storms, as well as efficient rainfall production associated with observed high PWATs and deeper warm cloud depths. S…
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2019. A passing shortwave trough and surface cold front brought scattered showers and thunderstorm on July 11th. Increasing shear, building instability, and mid-level dry resulted in a few strong storms across the area. Unseasonably high warm cloud depth created impressive rainfall rates, contributing to flash flooding.
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 Columbiana 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.