125 flood insurance claims·$1.2M paid·2 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 Ross 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 and general flooding dominate the historical record in Ross County, Ohio. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 77 general flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 40 flash flood events resulting in 1 death. Severe weather events, such as those driven by a stalled cold front that dropped heavy rainfall and caused runoff in July 2025, illustrate the persistent threat of excessive precipitation in the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are distributed across multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in standard high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A account for 64 claims with an average payout of $14,219 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Additionally, Zone X properties recorded 31 claims with an average payout of $11,666 and an average water depth of 11 inches, while properties with unknown zone designations logged 24 claims averaging $7,828 with an average water depth of 44 inches. Minor claims also occurred in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A and Zone X, as well as locations with unmapped or unknown flood zone designations where significant water depths have been documented during past claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Ross County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
70 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 10 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 19 claims and $270,377 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Ross County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 5, 2019 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 4, 2011 |
| 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, Mudslides, And Landslides | Jan 3, 2004 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Record/near Record Snow | Feb 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
117 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 77 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 8, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms developed in a warm and humid airmass.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms moved through the region in association with an upper level disturbance.
Flood · Jun 29, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms moved through the region in association with an upper level disturbance.
Flood · May 8, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms formed along a stationary front, producing 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 Ross 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.