967 flood insurance claims·$12.4M paid·5 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 Lehigh 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 severe summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, accounting for 95 out of 128 recorded flood events and one death over the last thirty years, alongside 31 general floods and two tropical storms. Recent events recorded by NOAA illustrate this pattern, including flash flooding caused by approaching cold fronts that sparked showers and thunderstorms on July 14, 2025, and August 18, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims distributed across multiple zones, led by Zone A with 528 claims averaging $20,442 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Additional claims occurred in Zone UNKNOWN (175 claims, averaging $3,038 and 3 inches of water), Zone X_UNSHADED (115 claims, averaging $19,977 and 3 inches of water), Zone X (95 claims, averaging $17,602 and 10 inches of water), and Zone X_SHADED (54 claims, averaging $16,726 and 12 inches of water).
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within high-risk Zone A, where the vast majority of insurance claims have been filed, while remaining aware that moderate and undetermined zones also experience property damage from inundation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Lehigh County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
697 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 7 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 1979, with 131 claims and $484,874 paid.
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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Lehigh County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 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 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
128 since 1996: 95 flash floods and 31 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Dec 28, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 15, 2023 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 15, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2025. An approaching cold front sparked off showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area. Flash flooding resulted.
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2024. Waves of showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front produced widespread showers and thunderstorms. A few storms produced large hail and damaging wind gusts, knocking down trees and power lines across portions of eastern Pennsylvania.
Flood · Dec 28, 2023. A coastal surface low moved north/northeastward on Wednesday night into Thursday (December 27-28th). Total rainfall amounts across the forecast area varied from about 1.00 inches up to 3.00 inches. The heaviest rains fell west of the I-95 corridor. This heavy rain fell on already saturated soils. As a result, river flooding was prevalent across the Passaic Basin, Raritan Basin, and southeast Pennsylvania basins in…
Flood · Dec 18, 2023. A strengthening coastal low pressure system brought several rounds of rain to the region Sunday night into Monday (December 17-18th). Total rainfall amounts across the forecast area varied from about 1.50 inches up to 7.00 inches. The heaviest rains fell across southern Delaware up through the coastal plain of New Jersey. This heavy rain fell on already saturated soils. As a result, river flooding was prevalent ac…
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 Lehigh 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.