898 flood insurance claims·$24.3M 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 Bradford 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 dominates the flood profile of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, accounting for 159 events alongside 40 general floods and 1 death over the past 30 years. NOAA storm data illustrates this pattern through slow-moving storms and heavy rainfall driven by warm, moist environments and stationary fronts, such as the flash flood events recorded in July 2025 that impacted roads, small streams, and residences.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A properties account for the highest volume with 542 claims, an average payout of $32,514, and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 172 claims with an average payout of $43,077 and an average water depth of 8 inches, while Zone X shaded properties averaged 14 inches of water across 63 claims and Zone X unshaded properties averaged 15 inches across 39 claims. Properties with unknown zones recorded 82 claims with an average water depth of 3 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and shaded or unshaded variations where significant water depths and claim payouts demonstrate substantial risk outside designated high-risk flood zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
16% of Bradford County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
644 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 15 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 329 claims and $16.4M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding, 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.
119 NOAA storm reports from Bradford County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 10, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Oct 20, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Nov 16, 2006 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 23, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
199 since 1996: 159 flash floods and 40 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2025. A weak frontal system moving through a warm and excessively moist environment triggered thunderstorms with torrential rainfall. These storms were slow moving and produced copious amounts of rain which led to localized flash flooding of roads, small streams and a few residences over a good portion of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2025. A warm and unstable environment combined with a stationary front across portions of the northern tier of Pennsylvania supported the development of scattered thunderstorms. Weak steering winds ahead of an upper trough contributed to slow moving storms repeating over the same areas. This contributed to areas of heavy rainfall and flash flooding in Bradford county.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2025. A slow moving upper level low pressure system interacted with a surface frontal boundary to induce torrential rain producing thunderstorms. These storms moved into Northeast Pennsylvania during the afternoon and repeatedly struck the same areas leading to localized flash flooding of roads, ditches and urban areas.
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2024. An upper-level low pressure system was the driving force of scattered storms across Northeast Pennsylvania. Warm and moist air contributed to several rounds of heavy rain producing thunderstorms over the northern tier counties. Rainfall amounts in a short period of time totalled between 2 and 3 inches leading to localized flash 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 Bradford 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.