Enter any address in Portage County, Ohio to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Portage County. Recent events include flash floods in August 2024, driven by slow-moving cold fronts and heavy rainfall, and another in July 2025, fueled by thunderstorms along a frontal boundary with high rainfall rates.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone X have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $25,113 and an average water depth of 2.4 feet. While Zone A claims are fewer, they show a higher average water depth of 5.3 feet, though with a significantly lower average payout of $4,199. Properties in Zone X_SHADED and Zone X_UNSHADED also have a history of claims.
Homeowners in Zone A, Zone X, and Zone X_UNSHADED should pay particular attention to flood risk. Those in areas with a history of higher water depths, even with fewer claims, should also be aware of potential flood impacts.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
17 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Portage County, Ohio has recorded 36 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 28 flash floods and 8 river or area floods. The county has received 12 federal disaster declarations. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1977–2020)
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 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 18, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Other | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Tornadoes, Flooding, Severe Storms, And High Winds | Tornado | Jul 21, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 12, 1992 |
| Severe Storms & Tornadoes | Tornado | May 31, 1985 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2025 | 15.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2024 | 300.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2024 | 300.00K |
| Flood | Feb 17, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2021 | 250.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 7, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2019 | 100.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2019 | 30.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 10, 2025
Thunderstorms developed along a slow moving frontal boundary during the afternoon, as weak low pressure moved northeast across the lower Great Lakes region. During the early afternoon hours, mixed layer CAPE values of 2000 j/kg helped fuel thunderstorm development as effective deep layer shear increased to 20-30 kts. Storms were weakly organized and slow moving, producing isolated damaging wind...
Flash Flood — Aug 17, 2024
At the surface, a low wobbled southeastward from the northwestern Great Lakes to southern Lake Huron during the early evening of the 16th through early evening of the 17th. Simultaneously, the attendant warm front moved northeastward from northern Lake Michigan and central Lake Erie to near the northern shore of Lake Ontario and Upper St. Lawrence River Valley, while the trailing cold front mov...
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 t...
Flash Flood — Aug 3, 2024
A slow moving cold front moved south into far northern Ohio before stalling during the morning hours of August 3rd, 2024, as weak low pressure moved east across the lower Great Lakes. Most of northeast Ohio remained in the warm sector, characterized by 1000 j/kg MLCAPE, precipitable water values near 1.75, slow storm motions due to a lack of deep layer shear. Thunderstorms developed during the ...
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...
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 Portage 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 Portage 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.