71 flood insurance claims·$707,735 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 Pickaway 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.
Standard river flooding and flash flooding from heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Pickaway County, OH, with NOAA records detailing 65 general flood events and 28 flash flood events over the last 30 years. A specific example of this occurred in July 2025, when a stalled cold front in the Ohio Valley produced heavy rainfall, runoff, and flooding from showers and thunderstorms.
Federal insurance data shows that flood risks extend across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 34 National Flood Insurance Program claims with an average payout of $8,649 and an average water depth of 12 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone A logged 33 claims with an average payout of $13,714 and an average water depth of 7 inches. A small number of claims also occurred in unknown zones and unshaded Zone X properties.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in both designated high-risk flood areas like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk areas like Zone X, as both zones have accumulated significant historical claim activity and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Pickaway County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
34 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 11 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 24 claims and $295,957 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 Pickaway County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslide | May 27, 2019 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike | Sep 14, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 24, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
93 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 65 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 26, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 8, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 26, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed in a warm and humid summertime airmass. Some of these storms were strong, producing damaging winds while others produced heavy rainfall, leading to flash flooding.
Flood · Jun 16, 2025. Slow moving thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain during the evening hours.
Flood · Jun 8, 2025. Slow moving thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall and localized flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 8, 2025. Slow moving thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall and localized 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 Pickaway 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.