94 flood insurance claims·$450,788 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 Carbon 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 Carbon County's flood history, accounting for 41 events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside 19 general flood events and 1 tropical storm. Heavy seasonal rainfall frequently drives these occurrences, as demonstrated by storms in July 2017 that dropped isolated amounts upwards of 4 to 6 inches, and a June 30 to July 1, 2015 flash flood event where radar estimates reached 5 inches in the Poconos.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones. High-risk Zone A accounts for 57 claims with an average payout of $6,683 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Moderate-to-low risk areas also experience impacts; Zone X recorded 15 claims with an average payout of $9,790 and an average water depth of 4 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $8,686 and an average water depth of 30 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $7,447 and an average water depth of 13 inches, and Zone UNKNOWN recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $0 and an average water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in designated high-risk Zone A, as well as properties located in moderate-risk Zone X designations, should pay the closest attention to these localized flash flood and heavy rain risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Carbon County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
75 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 6 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 22 claims and $137,324 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Carbon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 23, 2006 |
| 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 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 19, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 41 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Jul 2, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2021. Thunderstorms brought locally heavy rainfall to the Lehigh Valley and to Bucks County during the afternoon and early evening of July 29. As much as 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in parts of the area.
Flood · Jul 7, 2017. A stationary frontal boundary draped across the Delaware Valley lead to a period of heavy rainfall during the morning of July 7th. Widespread rainfall amounts over 2 inches occurred, with isolated amounts upwards of 4 to 6 inches in Carbon and Northampton Counties, which lead to flooding.
Flash Flood · May 31, 2015. A backdoor cold front triggered showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours that caused flash flooding across sections of the Poconos during the evening of the 31st. Doppler Radar storm total estimates exceeded three inches across central Monroe County and also in southwest Carbon County where the heaviest rain fell.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2015. In addition to the severe weather, multiple thunderstorms with heavy rain caused flash flooding in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos on the afternoon and evening of the 30th. The flash flooding in the Poconos persisted into July 1st. Doppler Radar storm total estimates reached two inches in the Lehigh Valley and five inches in the Poconos.||The heavy rain on the 30th culminated a very wet month of June across Eastern…
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 Carbon 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.