802 flood insurance claims·$3.2M paid·6 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 Cambria 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Cambria County. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, the county experienced 35 flash flood events, 13 general flood events, and 1 tropical storm.
Recent events illustrate this recurring hazard. For example, on June 17, 2025, a slow-moving surface warm front stationed across western Pennsylvania produced slow-moving showers and thunderstorms in an environment of anomalously moist air, resulting in numerous instances of flash flooding and road closures across the county.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in FEMA Flood Zone A, which accounts for the highest volume of National Flood Insurance Program claims with 364 filed, an average payout of $8,349, and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Properties in Zone X also warrant careful attention, having recorded an average water depth of 9 inches and an average payout of $8,754 across 90 claims. Additional claims are distributed across Zone UNKNOWN (183 claims, average depth of 2 inches), Zone X_UNSHADED (95 claims, average depth of 1 inch), and Zone X_SHADED (69 claims, average depth of 2 inches).
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
31% of Cambria County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
529 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 4 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 1996, with 215 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Cambria County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 9, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | Sep 17, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances | Sep 8, 2004 |
| Snow | Feb 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
49 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 17, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 21, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 17, 2025. A slow-moving surface warm front stationed across western Pennsylvania allowed for slow-moving showers and thunderstorms to form across southwestern Pennsylvania in an environment of anomalously moist air with long, skinny CAPE and enhanced low-level shear. Showers and thunderstorms across southwestern Pennsylvania initially formed during the early afternoon hours and continued into the evening hours, producing nu…
Flash Flood · Jun 17, 2025. A slow-moving surface warm front stationed across western Pennsylvania allowed for slow-moving showers and thunderstorms to form across southwestern Pennsylvania in an environment of anomalously moist air with long, skinny CAPE and enhanced low-level shear. Showers and thunderstorms across southwestern Pennsylvania initially formed during the early afternoon hours and continued into the evening hours, producing nu…
Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Mid-level shortwave approaching the region, coupled with a low-level warm front, allowed for ample lift across central Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening hours of July 16, 2025. Ample moisture in place, with precipitable water values in the 1.80 to 2.20 range and very little deep-layer shear promoted slow-moving showers and thunderstorms with efficient rainfall rates across much of the area. Floodi…
Flood · Apr 3, 2024. A stationary front followed by a significant early spring storm system led to a prolonged period of wet weather from April 1 into April 3, 2024. Central Pennsylvania received 2-4 (locally 5+) of rain falling over roughly a 72-hour period, which led to flooding of creeks and rivers in some areas. Additionally, WFO CTP received a call from WFO PHI that a dam on Octoraro Creek in western Chester County was performing…
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 Cambria 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.