73 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·1 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 Geauga 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 history of Geauga County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 27 flash flood events compared to 3 general flood events. Recent occurrences include a slow-moving system influenced by Tropical Depression Debby in August 2024, persistent moisture and thunderstorms along a cold front in September 2020, and convection driven by a warm front and lake breeze boundary in May 2017.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk impacts properties across multiple zones. Zone X accounts for 31 claims with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $41,380. Zone A represents 24 claims with a higher average water depth of 15 inches and an average payout of $28,267. An additional 16 claims are recorded under an unknown zone with an average water depth of 1 inch and a $7,340 average payout, alongside 2 claims in Zone V with zero recorded water depth and zero payouts.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which experience significantly deeper water inundation averaging 15 inches, as well as properties in Zone X where a higher volume of claims has been filed.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Geauga County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 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 9 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 1994, with 10 claims and $151,631 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Geauga County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Mar 7, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 27, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 18, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jul 12, 1992 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
30 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 7, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2017 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2015 | $225,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2014 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2010 | $4.5M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2024. A surface trough was oriented south to north across northeast Ohio during the afternoon and early evening of August 8th, 2024, with then Tropical Depression Debby centered over the Carolinas. Strong tropical moisture advection northwestward into the area and modest mixed layer CAPE (1000 j/kg) allowed for thunderstorm development throughout the mid afternoon into the early evening hours, with thunderstorm coverage…
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 persisted along the periph…
Flash Flood · Sep 7, 2020. A cold front moved slowly southward across Lake Erie and northern Ohio into a moist environment early Labor Day morning. A strong jet aloft fueled persistent moisture advection along with significant backbuilding and training of thunderstorms across the area between about 6am and 6pm Monday. This resulted in a widespread 2-5��� of rain with isolated amounts even higher. Later that afternoon, the primary weat…
Flash Flood · May 28, 2017. A warm front lifted across the region on the afternoon of Sunday the 28th. Convection developed along and behind this feature. The most intense storms and concentration was along the lake breeze boundary extending from Cleveland eastward. This allowed for training and an increased risk of 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 Geauga 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.