158 flood insurance claims·$1.0M paid·4 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 McKean 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 profile of McKean County, which recorded 26 flash flood events alongside 9 general flood events and 1 tropical storm over the last 30 years. NOAA storm reports illustrate this hazard, noting that slow-moving thunderstorms brought flash flooding to portions of the area on August 15, 2019, and that showers and storms produced flash flooding across the northwest mountains in portions of Warren and McKean counties on June 26, 2024.
NFIP insurance claims data indicates that historical payouts have been most frequent and severe in designated high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 95 claims with an average payout of $9,653 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties outside of high-risk areas also face vulnerability, with unshaded Zone X recording 25 claims averaging $5,896 and 2 inches of average recorded water depth, and unknown zones recording 24 claims averaging $2,205 and 2 inches of average recorded water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists working with properties in Zone A face the highest concentration of historical flood claims and water depths, while properties in unshaded Zone X and unknown zones also require careful attention due to documented claims history.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of McKean County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
125 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 3 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 1999, with 42 claims and $382,916 paid, the year of Pa.
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.
5 NOAA storm reports from McKean County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Pa - Flooding 8/20/99 | Aug 20, 1999 |
| 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.
36 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 28, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2012 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2024. Numerous showers and storms developed ahead of an approaching cold front on June 26, 2024. Some of these storms became severe, producing sporadic wind damage and a few severe hail reports across central Pennsylvania. There was also some flash flooding reported across the northwest mountains in portions of Warren and McKean counties.
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 storms over western Penn…
Flash Flood · Aug 15, 2019. Slow moving thunderstorms brought some flash flooding to portions of the area on the evening of August 15th.
Flood · Jan 12, 2018. A strong cold front crossed central Pennsylvania during the evening of January 12, 2018. The front was preceded by near-record warmth, and accompanied by showers and gusty thunderstorms. Temperatures dropped quickly behind the front, with precipitation changing over to a wintry mix and eventually snow. Several ice jams were reported over northern 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 McKean 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.