209 flood insurance claims·$2.2M paid·3 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 Warren 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 river flooding dominate the flood profile of Warren County, backed by 99 flood events resulting in 3 deaths and 64 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall and flooding occurred when a cold front sagged into the Ohio Valley and stalled as a stationary front, generating showers and thunderstorms in a very moist environment, as recorded during events in July 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that property damage extends across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 141 claims averaging a $14,133 payout and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 35 claims with an average payout of $33,619 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded 23 claims with an average payout of $7,934 and an average water depth of 16 inches, while Shaded Zone X properties recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $13,436 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Unknown zones accounted for 4 claims averaging a $3757 payout with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and various designations of Zone X, where historical claims and recorded water depths indicate consistent flood risks outside of major riverine designations.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Warren County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
170 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 2008, with 30 claims and $288,902 paid, the year of Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike.
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 Warren County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 3 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 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 22, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 27, 2004 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | May 23, 1989 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 26, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
163 since 1996: 64 flash floods and 99 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 28, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary that was moving south into the Ohio Valley.
Flash Flood · Jun 28, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary that was moving south into the Ohio Valley.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2025. A cold front sagged down through the Ohio Valley region, stalling out as a stationary front. Showers and thunderstorms developed along this boundary in a very moist environment, producing heavy rainfall and flooding.
Flood · Jul 18, 2025. A cold front sagged down through the Ohio Valley region, stalling out as a stationary front. Showers and thunderstorms developed along this boundary in a very moist environment, producing heavy rainfall and 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 Warren 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.