207 flood insurance claims·$1.9M paid·3 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, where NOAA Storm Events Database records 94 flash flood events compared to 34 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Recent weather patterns illustrate this hazard, such as the May 21, 2025 event when an occluding surface low drifting across Ohio brought bands of showers and embedded thunderstorms that generated multiple rounds of slow-moving heavier rain and subsequent flash flooding incidents.
Property owners and real estate professionals should note that flood insurance claims extend beyond high-risk areas. FEMA data shows that while Zone A recorded the highest claim volume with 146 claims averaging an $11,901 payout with an average recorded water depth of 9 inches, properties in lower-risk zones also experience impacts. Specifically, Zone X recorded 23 claims averaging a $14,167 payout with an average water depth of 14 inches, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 21 claims averaging a $9,260 payout with an average water depth of 15 inches, Zone UNKNOWN recorded 11 claims averaging a $2,211 payout with an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 6 claims averaging a $4,063 payout with an average water depth of 1 inch. Residents in both designated flood zones and lower-risk zones should review these historical averages when assessing property vulnerability.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
16% of Lawrence County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
173 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 2004, with 52 claims and $826,370 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances and Tropical Depression Ivan.
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.
70 NOAA storm reports from Lawrence County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | Sep 17, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances | Sep 8, 2004 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 21, 2003 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 19, 1996 |
| Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm | Mar 13, 1993 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
128 since 1996: 94 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 21, 2025. An occluding surface low slowly drifted across Ohio on May 21st. Bands of showers with embedded thunderstorms moved across southwest Pennsylvania. During the mid to late afternoon, one convective band, associated with ample 0-3km CAPE and surface vorticity, was able to generate four tornadoes across southwest PA. Three were relatively brief and weak, but one longer-track EF1 was noted in Washington County. Multip…
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2025. A crossing mid-level shortwave supported development of showers and thunderstorms with 2000-3000 J/kg of MUCAPE and weak deep layer shear. Anomalously high PWAT values, even for July, up to 2.0 inches were more than sufficient for any thunderstorms to produce high rainfall rates and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. Several rounds of thunderstorms trained over portions of Lawrence, Allegheny, Westmoreland Clarion and Beaver counties on June 6th. This was a result of a very moist airmass and a stationary boundary located over northern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania. Flash flooding was reported in the aforementioned counties with considerable flooding noted in Allegheny county.
Flood · Apr 12, 2024. A strong mid-level trough and an associated frontal zone crossed through the|Mid-South and took aim on the OH Valley. Strong forcing associated the energy aloft coupled with a gradually destabilizing boundary layer out ahead it set the stage for areas of locally heavy showers and thunderstorms for several hours and prompted dangerous flash flooding. A flash flood emergency was issued for portions of Allegheny Coun…
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 Lawrence 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.