127 flood insurance claims·$2.4M 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 Wyandot 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 floods and river floods resulting from heavy summer rainfall and low pressure systems dominate the flood risk profile in Wyandot County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 20 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, and 13 general flood events resulting in 1 death.
Recent history illustrates these seasonal risks. In May 2020, slow-moving thunderstorms produced heavy rain rates of 2 inches an hour or higher that trained over the same areas, resulting in flash flooding. In May 2021, a low pressure system tracked across northern Ohio, dropping total rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches and causing widespread flooding.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties located within Special Flood Hazard Area Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of local risk. FEMA records show 106 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $23,474 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. By comparison, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $15,157 and an average water depth of 4 inches, while standard Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $26,141 and an average water depth of 3 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Wyandot County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
117 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 2007, with 61 claims and $1.2M 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Wyandot County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Ohio flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1978.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Mar 7, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Aug 20, 2007 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 10, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | $65,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2019 | $150,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2017 | $650,000 |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 22, 2013 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2008 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 10, 2021. A surface area of low pressure tracked from the high plains crossing northern Ohio on Sunday May 9th. Widespread light to moderate rain developed Sunday morning and was ongoing through much of the day. Temperatures were in the upper 30s to low 40s, and some snowflakes mixed in midday. As the system moved east, rain turned to snow in the primary snowbelt with reports up to 2��� in northwest Pennsylvania and G…
Flash Flood · May 19, 2020. A slow moving upper low over Illinois combined with a conveyor belt of humid air over Ohio supported widespread showers and thunderstorms over southern and central Ohio on the afternoon and evening of the 18th. The weather conditions supported not severe weather but heavy rain. Rain rates of 2 inches an hour or higher were observed with storms that trained, or repeated over the same areas. Overnight the low sank…
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2019. Low pressure over west central Indiana moved slowly east in Ohio on the afternoon and evening of the 21st. The boundary slowed to a stationary front across central Ohio, becoming a catalyst for storm development. Rainfall rates of 2 to inches an hour occurred in the heaviest rainfall. The Weather Prediction Center highlighted an area along the US 30 corridor across central Ohio for a heightened risk of flash flood…
Flood · Jan 12, 2018. On January 11 the region was impacted by anomalously high temperatures around 60 degrees. This was accompanied by gusty winds around 25 mph. The area snowpack was completely reduced in a combination of melting and evaporation. Rainfall amounts of a half an inch upwards of an inch in eastern Ohio, in combination with snowmelt, led to river rises. The runoff was not sufficient to produce flooding in itself, however…
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 Wyandot 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.