48 flood insurance claims·$371,766 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 Preble 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 and general flooding occur in nearly equal measure, driven by severe weather systems and heavy rainfall. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records document 38 flash flood events and 35 general flood events. Recent activity includes a low pressure system that brought flooding in April 2024, as well as an approaching cold front that caused localized flooding in March 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate claims across multiple zones with varying impacts. Properties in Zone A experienced 31 claims with an average payout of $14,808 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. In Zone X, 9 claims averaged $11,001 with an average recorded water depth of 24 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $4,667 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X_SHADED saw 2 claims averaging $1,073 with an average water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, which accounts for the highest concentration of insurance claims, as well as properties in Zone X that have recorded significant average water depths during past flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Preble County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
39 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 1999, with 12 claims and $163,109 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Preble County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike | Sep 14, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record/near Record Snow | Feb 14, 2003 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | May 23, 1989 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 26, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
73 since 1996: 38 flash floods and 35 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 30, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2024. An upper level disturbance moving southeast across the region produced showers and thunderstorms during the overnight hours.
Flood · Apr 11, 2024. A low pressure system moving through the Ohio River Valley resulted in occasional showers and thunderstorms.
Flood · Mar 7, 2022. Showers and thunderstorms ahead of an approaching cold front produced localized strong winds and flooding.
Flood · Jun 30, 2021. Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front moving through the Ohio Valley. Some of the storms produced heavy rainfall.
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 Preble 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.