Enter any address in Cuyahoga County, Ohio to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Cuyahoga County. Between 1993 and 2023, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 97 flash flood events and 30 general flood events. Recent examples include flash flooding on April 25, 2025, and July 25, 2023, driven by atmospheric conditions that supported heavy rainfall.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims (737) with an average payout of $26,491 and an average water depth of 3.2 feet. Properties in Zone X also saw significant claims (244) with an average payout of $17,390 and an average water depth of 3.3 feet. Homeowners in these zones, as well as those in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X_SHADED, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
83 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Cuyahoga County, Ohio has recorded 128 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 97 flash floods and 30 river or area floods. The county has received 19 federal disaster declarations, 4 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Due To The Remnants Of Hurricane Sandy | Hurricane | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Severe Storm | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight Line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 21, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 18, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Other | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, And High Winds | Tornado | Jul 21, 2003 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 25, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2023 | 75.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2023 | 750.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | 100.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | 350.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | 3500.00K |
| Flood | Jul 12, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 29, 2020 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Apr 25, 2025
Broad, quasi-zonal mid/upper level flow was present over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on April 25th, 2025, with surface low pressure slowly moving east across the southern Great Lakes. Northern Ohio was firmly entrenched in the warm sector of this system with a warm front just north of Lake Erie. Widespread rain showers with embedded thunderstorms developed across Northern Ohio during the af...
Flash Flood — Jul 25, 2023
A large ridge of high pressure was centered over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on July 25th, 2023. Convection developed along a lake breeze from Elyria, OH northeast to Erie, PA, just south of the I-90 corridor, as surface based CAPE values built to 2000-3000 j/kg by early afternoon. Little to no deep layer bulk shear promoted a pulse thunderstorm environment, with isolated thunderstorms buil...
Flash Flood — Aug 23, 2023
An anomalously-warm and moist air mass was in place across much of the Central Plains and Midwest, resulting in strong to perhaps extreme instability in addition to tropical-like precipitable water values exceeding 2.0 inches. The Lower Great Lakes region, specifically northern Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania found itself on the eastern edge of this heat dome. Strong northwest flow aloft persis...
Flash Flood — Jul 20, 2023
A surface low moved generally eastward from east-central Lower MI to the southeastern shore of Lake Huron during the evening of the 20th. Simultaneously, the low's warm front swept northeastward across southern ON and western NY toward the northern shore of Lake Ontario as the low's trailing cold front moved generally eastward across southeastern Lower MI and far-northeastern IN to central Lake...
Flood — Jul 12, 2021
A stationary boundary was situated from west to east across northern OH on July 12th, 2021, and would lift north to Lake Erie by late afternoon. This allowed for a warm, unstable airmass to reside over the region, with surface dewpoints in the low 70s, and PWAT values in the 1.8 to 1.9 range. MLCAPE values were near 1000 j/kg, with slow storm motions in the 20 to 25 kt. range. Deep layer bulk s...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Cuyahoga County, Ohio:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.