44 flood insurance claims·$1.1M 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 Seminole County, Oklahoma. 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 severe weather events dominates the flood risk profile in Seminole County, Oklahoma. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 21 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths, compared to 6 general flood events. Recent activity includes widespread flash flooding near Seminole, Oklahoma in May 2023, followed by prolonged river flooding in May 2025 stemming from very heavy rainfall in late April.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties situated within Special Flood Hazard Area Zone A face the highest concentration of financial risk, accounting for 32 claims with an average payout of $44,062 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Additional claims are distributed across other zones, including 5 claims in Zone X with an average payout of $37,515 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, 5 claims in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $309 and an average water depth of 1 inch, and 2 claims in Zone X_UNSHADED with an average payout of $910 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, where historical claim frequency and average payout amounts are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Seminole County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
34 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 3 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 2015, with 11 claims and $428,871 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Seminole County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
33 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 25, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 2, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 5, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 18, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | May 10, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flood | May 3, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 15, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2017 | $5,000 · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 30, 2025. Multiple rounds of severe convection and flooding occurred from the predawn hours of the 29th into morning hours of the 30th. The most significant round of severe thunderstorm activity occurred across portions of western-north Texas on the evening of the 29th, where intense supercell thunderstorms produced very large hail, damaging wind gusts and a pair of significant (EF-2+) tornadoes. Significant flash flooding…
Flood · May 3, 2025. Very heavy rainfall during the latter portions of April 2025 resulted in prolonged river flooding across portions of central and southern Oklahoma during the first days of May 2025.
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2024. Multiple rounds of severe weather produced reports of thunderstorm wind, large hail and flash flooding across central into southern Oklahoma on the 4th into the early morning hours of the 5th. The first convective episode began just after midnight on the 4th when a (strong) warm air advection pattern commenced across central into southern Oklahoma. Initial activity slowly organized into a line of storms, progressi…
Flood · May 15, 2023. Widespread, mostly sub-severe convection, developed on the periphery of a low-pressure center as it traversed across portions of the Ozarks. Localized heavy rainfall across eastern Oklahoma lead to an instance of flash flooding near Seminole, OK.
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 Seminole 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.