461 flood insurance claims·$9.5M paid
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 Putnam 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.
Riverine flooding and flash flooding from storms dominate Putnam County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 11 flood events and 8 flash flood events over the last 30 years, resulting in 1 fatality. Severe weather events have historically brought intense rainfall to the area, such as a mesoscale complex that dropped 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain over a four-hour period on April 26, 2019. Additionally, an event on June 15 and 16, 2015, driven by disturbances and tropical system remnants, produced rainfall rates of two to three inches per hour and five-day totals exceeding eight inches, causing widespread high water.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrates that properties in FEMA Zone A face the highest concentration
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Putnam County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
429 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 14 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 2007, with 193 claims and $7.6M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes.
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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Putnam County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1974.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Aug 20, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Nov 10, 2002 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding & Tornadoes | Jun 30, 1981 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 2, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2009 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2007 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2000 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 2, 2025. The atmosphere was primed for severe weather during the afternoon and evening hours of April 2nd. 0-1 km SRH values of 300 to 500 m2/s2, 60 to 70 kts of shear and MLCAPE of around 1000 J/KG set the stage for numerous thunderstorms. Damage reports were not as widespread, but those that occurred tended to be in swaths related to cold pools from bowing segments or tornadoes. Eight tornadoes (three in northern Indian…
Flood · Apr 26, 2019. During the early morning hours of the 26th a large mesoscale complex moved from Indiana into western Ohio. Rainfall reports ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 inches, most of which fell over a 4 hour timeframe.
Flash Flood · Jun 16, 2015. The edge of strong high pressure was situated over northwestern Ohio as a series of disturbances moved into the region. In addition, the remnants of a tropical system added to already abundant moisture to set the stage for isolated severe storms and several rounds of torrential rainfall for parts of northwestern Ohio. Rainfall rates of two to three inches per hour were common with the stronger cells, allowing 5 da…
Flood · Jun 15, 2015. The edge of strong high pressure was situated over northwestern Ohio as a series of disturbances moved into the region. In addition, the remnants of a tropical system added to already abundant moisture to set the stage for isolated severe storms and several rounds of torrential rainfall for parts of northwestern Ohio. Rainfall rates of two to three inches per hour were common with the stronger cells, allowing 5 da…
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 Putnam 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.