101 flood insurance claims·$995,242 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 Delaware 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.
Flooding driven by standard floods rather than flash floods characterizes the flood risk in Delaware County, Ohio. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 52 flood events alongside 18 flash flood events. Heavy rainfall often stems from summer weather patterns, such as the showers and thunderstorms produced by a stalled frontal boundary in September 2020 or scattered thunderstorms associated with an upper-level disturbance in July 2021. Remnants of tropical systems, including Hurricane Ida in August 2021, have also brought locally heavy rain through the area.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that flood risks extend beyond designated high-risk areas. Zone A properties account for 53 claims with an average payout of $16,883 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 32 claims with an average payout of $7,460 and an average water depth of 11 inches. Zone X shaded properties recorded 3 consecutive claims with a higher average payout of $32,050 and an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X, as these zones record the highest frequency of claims and significant average water depths during heavy rain events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Delaware County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
57 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 10 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 2005, with 9 claims and $326,311 paid, the year of Hurricane Katrina Evacuation.
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 Delaware County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Tornadoes | Mar 14, 2024 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike | Sep 14, 2008 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Mar 7, 2008 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
70 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 52 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 31, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Sep 7, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 31, 2021. Showers and embedded thunderstorms associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ida produced locally heavy rain through the day.
Flood · Jul 11, 2021. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours ahead of an approaching upper level disturbance.
Flood · Jul 1, 2021. Scattered thunderstorms associated with an upper level disturbance produced locally heavy rainfall during the early morning hours.
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 Delaware 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.