318 flood insurance claims·$2.7M paid·5 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 Scioto 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.
River floods and flash floods from heavy rainfall driven by passing low pressure systems, stationary boundaries, and cold fronts dominate the historical record in Scioto County, OH, where NOAA data from the last 30 years records 92 flood events resulting in 3 deaths and 74 flash flood events resulting in 1 death. Recent examples include slow-moving showers and thunderstorms that produced locally heavy rainfall in May 2022, as well as storms ahead of a low pressure system in January 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records show significant claim activity across multiple zones, indicating risk extends beyond mapped high-risk areas. Zone X accounts for 128 claims with an average payout of $10,839 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone A accounts for 124 claims with an average payout of $13,278 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone UNKNOWN records 58 claims averaging $1984 with an average depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED records 8 claims averaging $3,446 with an average water depth of 14 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in both Zone X and Zone A, as these areas account for the vast majority of historical insurance claims and water damage in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Scioto County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
132 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 7 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 1997, with 86 claims and $1.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Scioto County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Feb 5, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2018 |
| 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 Winter Storm And Record/near Record Snow | Feb 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
166 since 1996: 74 flash floods and 92 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2024 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 16, 2025. A low pressure system brought heavy rainfall to the region as it moved through the Ohio Valley.
Flash Flood · Feb 16, 2025. A low pressure system brought heavy rainfall to the region as it moved through the Ohio Valley.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2024. The remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through the Ohio Valley during the day.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall and isolated 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 Scioto 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.