400 flood insurance claims·$6.6M paid·8 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 Adams County, Pennsylvania. 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 summer thunderstorms and general flooding dominate the historical flood profile of Adams County, with 30 flash flood events and 22 flood events recorded over the last 30 years. NOAA storm data records show that slow-moving thunderstorms on July 12, 2025 produced rainfall rates exceeding two inches per hour, while a narrow stripe of heavy rain on May 15, 2025 resulted in localized flash flooding across central Adams County.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for the vast majority of claims with 275 filings, averaging a payout of $23,392 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. However, properties in lower-risk zones also experience losses; Zone X accounts for 46 claims with an average payout of $21,339 and an average water depth of 21 inches, while Shaded Zone X and Unshaded Zone X account for 24 and 35 claims respectively.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated within designated Zone A due to the high volume of claims, while remaining aware that properties in Zone X and other lower-risk designations also record significant water depths and insurance claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Adams County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
334 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 13 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 2011, with 133 claims and $3.0M paid, the year of Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee and Tropical Storm Lee.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Adams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 23, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | Sep 17, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jul 22, 2018 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Mar 30, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2014 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 15, 2025. A narrow stripe of heavy rain lifted northward across central Adams County the morning of May 15, 2025, producing localized flash flooding issues.
Flood · Jul 12, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms began to develop in a highly unstable and moist atmosphere during the afternoon hours of July 12, 2025. Thunderstorms largely remained sub-severe; however, low effective bulk shear values led to slow-moving thunderstorms to occur across potions of southern Pennsylvania, with rainfall rates exceeding two inches per hour across portions of Adams County.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2019. A Large upper level system moving through the Mid Atlantic resulted in a 3 day rain event that caused multiple flash floods through Central PA.
Flood · Jul 22, 2018. I persistent upper level flow of moist southerly air brought waves of flooding and flash flooding to the region. Significant flooding was reported across eastern portions of the area. Two deaths were also reported, one person was washed away attempting to cross a stream, while a motorist was swept away in flood waters.
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 Adams 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.