35 flood insurance claims·$237,584 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 Darke 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.
Regular flooding driven by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms dominates the area, accounting for 58 events over the last 30 years compared to 30 flash flood events. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 and slow-moving storms along a stalled frontal boundary in September 2020. Additional heavy rain and flooding occurred in April 2025 and June 2024 as low pressure waves and cold fronts moved through the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate distinct impacts across different zones. Properties in Zone A experienced 23 claims with an average payout of $8,565 and an average recorded water depth of 22 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 8 claims with a higher average payout of $16,759 but a lower average recorded water depth of 3 inches, while an additional 4 claims were recorded with an unknown zone, zero payouts, and zero recorded water depth.
Homeowners and real estate professionals located within Zone A and other flood-prone areas should pay the closest attention to these risks, given the documented water depths and historical frequency of storm-related flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Darke County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
23 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 16 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 1989, with 5 claims and $9,449 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Darke County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1977.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Tornadoes | Mar 14, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslide | May 27, 2019 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 4, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
88 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 58 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 5, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Sep 8, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 17, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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.
Flood · Jul 9, 2024. Moisture associated with the remnants of Hurricane Beryl interacted with a weak boundary across the Ohio Valley to produce showers and thunderstorms, along with locally heavy rainfall.
Flood · Jun 5, 2024. A cold front moved through the Ohio Valley, causing showers and thunderstorms out ahead of it. Some of the storms produced heavy rain and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Mar 28, 2020. Thunderstorms developed during the evening hours ahead of a cold front moving through the Ohio Valley. The thunderstorms continued into the early morning hours of the 29th.
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 Darke 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.