97 flood insurance claims·$1.6M 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 Shelby 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.
Long-term historical records show that standard riverine flooding dominates the local event mix over flash flooding. Recent occurrences include widespread flooding driven by waves of low pressure moving east along a frontal boundary in April 2025, alongside flash flooding triggered by a stalled stationary front, warm airmass, and heavy rainfall in July 2025.
Federal insurance claims data indicates that risk varies significantly by designated flood zone. Properties located within Zone A account for the vast majority of claims with 79 filings, resulting in an average payout of $8,062 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded fewer claims at 6, but carried a substantially higher average payout of $34,427 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Unshaded Zone X properties averaged 28 inches of recorded water depth with an average payout of $11,851, while shaded Zone X properties averaged 24 inches of water depth with an average payout of $1,823.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within designated Zone A due to the high frequency of claims, as well as properties in unshaded and shaded Zone X areas where individual claims have historically involved greater water depths and higher average payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Shelby County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
86 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 8 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 2003, with 17 claims and $40,127 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Shelby County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike | Sep 14, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 4, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
86 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 65 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Mar 3, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 18, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2020 | $4,000 |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Sep 8, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2025. A weak cold front sagged south through the Great Lakes region, stalling out as a stationary front through the Ohio Valley. This boundary, combined with a very warm and humid airmass, sparked showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and into the evening hours on the 27th. Some of these storms produced damaging winds and heavy rainfall, which lead to instances of flash flooding.
Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Widespread showers and thunderstorms occurred across the region as waves of low pressure moved east along a frontal boundary that was stalled out along the Ohio River.
Flood · Mar 3, 2023. Showers and scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours ahead of a strong low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley.
Flood · Mar 18, 2021. A low pressure system moving through the Ohio Valley produced widespread rain through the day.
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 Shelby 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.