178 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·9 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 Juniata 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 risk profile in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 15 flash flood events resulting in 4 deaths, alongside 7 general floods and 1 tropical storm. Heavy rain patterns driven by slow-moving cold fronts and humid airmasses regularly threaten the region. For example, a July 2023 event evolved into a flash flooding threat when widespread showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of an approaching cold front. Similarly, a May 2014 event fueled by deep southerly flow and high moisture dropped 2.5 to 5.0 inches of rainfall, causing widespread small stream flooding, road closures, and multiple river forecast points exceeding minor to moderate levels.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located in high-risk Zone A face the heaviest concentration of risk, accounting for 126 claims with an average payout of $9,945 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Additional claims have occurred in shaded Zone X (20 claims, average payout of $4,673, average water depth of 2 inches), unshaded Zone X (7 claims, average payout of $4,360, average water depth of 4 inches), Zone X with an average water depth of 24 inches across 18 claims, and unknown zones. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A and low-lying areas susceptible to flash flooding from small streams and severe summer storms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Juniata County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
153 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 10 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 55 claims and $383,817 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Fran.
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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Juniata County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 9 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 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | Sep 17, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances | Sep 8, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 9, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2006 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed in a warm and humid airmass over central Pennsylvania with moderate CAPE and very little CIN ahead of an approaching cold front. A few of the storms produced sporadic wind damage, and the widespread nature of this activity allowed the event to evolve into a flash flooding threat as well.
Flood · Jul 9, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed in a warm and humid airmass over central Pennsylvania with moderate CAPE and very little CIN ahead of an approaching cold front. A few of the storms produced sporadic wind damage, and the widespread nature of this activity allowed the event to evolve into a flash flooding threat as well.
Flood · May 16, 2014. Deep southerly flow transported a plume of seasonably high moisture into the region along a slow-moving, north-south oriented cold front. This favorable heavy rain pattern produced a stripe of 2.5-5.0 inches of rainfall from the northern Blue Ridge into the north-central mountains of Pennsylvania. Widespread small stream flooding and multiple road closures were reported with five river forecast points in the Junia…
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2011. Slow moving heavy rain showers and thunderstorms produced flash flooding and flooding across central Pennsylvania.
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 Juniata 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.