Enter any address in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is a significant flood concern in Dauphin County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 42 flash flood events and 36 flood events, which resulted in 5 fatalities. Recent examples include flash flooding on May 6, 2025, and June 30, 2025, driven by slow-moving weather systems and heavy rainfall.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $17,632 and an average water depth of 6.1 feet. While Zone X_SHADED and Zone X have fewer claims, they still represent a risk, with average payouts of $9,470 and $11,622 respectively. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in areas prone to flash flooding due to local topography and heavy rainfall, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
11 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania has recorded 79 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 42 flash floods and 36 river or area floods. The county has received 22 federal disaster declarations, 7 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1972–2021)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Hurricane | Aug 31, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Hurricane | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Flood | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Lee | Flood | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Snowstorm | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Jun 23, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2024 | 100.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 24, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2018 | 0.00K |
Flood — Jun 30, 2025
A slow-moving warm front in an extremely moist (PWAT values exceeding 2.00, values closer to 2.25 across the Lower Susquehanna Valley) and unstable environment allowed for multiple clusters of thunderstorms to begin to form during the late morning hours and continue through the late evening hours of June 30, 2025. A shortwave trough stationed across the region allowed for enhanced lift, with re...
Flash Flood — May 6, 2025
Low pressure stationed across the Delmarva during the early morning hours of May 6, 2025 began to lift north and east during the afternoon hours, allowing portions of eastern Pennsylvania to have a brief period of residence time in the warm sector. This residence time allowed for destabilization ahead of a surface cold front, with ample shear in place to allow for a line of showers and thunders...
Flash Flood — Sep 21, 2024
A warm front approaching central Pennsylvania in an environment of sufficient instability and shear allowed for thunderstorm formation during the late afternoon and evening hours, with multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms crossing the northern tier of Pennsylvania. The multiple rounds of heavy rainfall, coupled with local topography, allowed for flash flooding across hydrologically sensitive...
Flash Flood — Jul 17, 2021
Scattered showers and thunderstorms develop during the early afternoon hours of July 17, 2021 across western Pennsylvania and in the Lower Susquehanna Valley in an anomalously humid airmass ahead of an approaching cold front. The storms over the Lower Susquehanna Valley developed on a weak boundary in a high CAPE environment, and produced sporadic wind damage before moving to the east. The stor...
Flash Flood — Jul 11, 2021
Scattered thunderstorms developed in a moderate CAPE, moderate shear environment just south of a warm front that was draped from northwest to southeast across central Pennsylvania during the afternoon of July 11, 2021. Several of the storms produced wind damage, and a few storms exhibited rotation near the warm front. One slower moving thunderstorm brought urban flash flooding to Harrisburg.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.