Enter any address in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the primary flood concern in Lancaster County. Between 2000 and 2020, NOAA data recorded 106 flash flood events and 60 general flood events, which resulted in 5 fatalities. Recent examples include flash flooding events driven by slow-moving warm fronts and unstable atmospheric conditions on June 30, 2025, and June 28, 2025.
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 $19,418 and an average water depth of 5.0 feet. Properties in Zone X and Zone X_SHADED also show significant claim activity with higher average water depths. Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zones X and X_SHADED, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
54 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has recorded 167 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 106 flash floods and 60 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 (1972–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Ice Storm | Feb 4, 2014 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 31, 2025
A surface cold front was stationed near the Mason-Dixon line, with an area of surface low pressure developing and tracking across southern portions of central Pennsylvania. This brought increasing moisture across the area, with ample low-level and effective bulk shear allowing for multiple thunderstorms to develop during the morning and afternoon hours on July 31, 2025. Isolated thunderstorm de...
Flash 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 — Jun 28, 2025
A warm front moving across central Pennsylvania during the morning hours of June 28, 2025 with a surface cold front stationed in the Great Lake region allowed for much of central Pennsylvania to reside in the warm sector during the early afternoon and evening hours. Increasing instability, shear, and moisture due to this residence time primed the atmosphere ahead of a prefrontal trough allowing...
Flash Flood — Jun 27, 2025
A frontal boundary stationed across western Pennsylvania allowed for showers and thunderstorms to form during the morning hours of June 27, 2025. Favorable instability and marginal shear across central Pennsylvania allowed for thunderstorm development to begin by late morning and continue into the evening hours. Ample moisture in place allowed for heavy rainfall in nearly stationary storms acro...
Flash Flood — Sep 23, 2025
Daytime heating during the afternoon and evening hours of September 23, 2025 allowed for convection to occur across portions of the Lower Susquehanna Valley in an environment with ample moisture and low steering flow aloft allowing for slow-moving thunderstorms. Thunderstorms produced a quick 3 to 4 inches of rainfall in Millersville, which prompted multiple instances of flash flooding in the v...
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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.