Enter any address in Erie County, Ohio to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from severe thunderstorms is the most frequent type of flood event recorded in Erie County, OH over the last 30 years, with 36 such events documented by NOAA. Other flood types include flash floods (26 events), lakeshore floods (9 events), storm surge/tide (6 events), and coastal floods (1 event). Recent flash flooding events occurred in August 2023, driven by anomalously warm and moist air masses, and in February 2022, associated with a cold front.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows a significant number of claims in Zone A (719 claims), with an average payout of $7,752 and water depths averaging 2.7 feet. Claims were also filed in Zone X_UNSHADED (107 claims) and Zone X (31 claims), with the latter showing higher average payouts ($12,534) and water depths (4.1 feet). Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and X_SHADED, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
32 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Erie County, Ohio has recorded 78 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 26 flash floods and 36 river or area floods. The county has received 14 federal disaster declarations, 2 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1969–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| 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 |
| Snow | Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Other | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Aug 7, 1995 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 12, 1992 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2023 | 2.50M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2023 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 17, 2022 | 20.00K |
| Flood | May 9, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | Apr 23, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | Mar 22, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 16, 2020 | 250.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | Jun 14, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 12, 2020 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 28, 2025
Placeholder for severe narrative.|Slow moving thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall to much of Erie County, resulting in flash flooding.
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 — Feb 17, 2022
A southeastward-moving surface cold front across southern Lower MI and northern IN approached northwest OH during the early morning of the 17th. The surface pressure gradient tightened in northwest OH as the cold frontal surface trough interacted with a surface ridge axis that remained anchored near the coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. This tightening surface pressure gradient and apparently...
Flood — May 9, 2021
A surface area of low pressure tracked from the high plains crossing northern Ohio on Sunday May 9th. Widespread light to moderate rain developed Sunday morning and was ongoing through much of the day. Temperatures were in the upper 30s to low 40s, and some snowflakes mixed in midday. As the system moved east, rain turned to snow in the primary snowbelt with reports up to 2��� in northwes...
Lakeshore Flood — Apr 23, 2020
An area of low pressure moved into the Ohio Valley on the 23rd followed by another slightly stronger low on the 25th. A near persistent north to northeast wind of 15 to 20 knots piled water up on the western basin on an already record lake levels. This supported a drawn out lakeshore flood event.
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 Erie 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 Erie 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.