154 flood insurance claims·$3.2M paid·6 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 Montour 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.
A balanced mix of river floods and flash floods driven by summer thunderstorms and tropical systems shapes the flood risk in Montour County, according to NOAA storm records. Over a thirty-year period, the county experienced 12 flood events, 12 flash flood events, and 1 tropical storm event. Notable historical incidents include a persistent upper-level flow that brought significant flash flooding and two fatalities on July 25, 2018, as well as heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee that produced widespread river and flash flooding from September 4-10, 2011.
Federal insurance data underscores that flood risks extend beyond high-risk regulatory areas. Zone A accounts for the highest volume with 82 claims, averaging a payout of $37,183 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Meanwhile, various designations of Zone X recorded a combined total of 63 claims. Among these, Zone X claims averaged $12,921 with an average 8 inches of water depth for shaded areas, $19,415 with an average 16 inches of water depth for standard Zone X, and $14,934 with an average 2 inches of water depth for unshaded areas. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 9 claims with an average payout of $1,074 and an average 2 inches of water depth. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A face the highest average severity, but properties situated within shaded and unshaded Zone X designations also sustain repetitive water damage and should pay close attention to local flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
33% of Montour County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
122 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 2011, with 51 claims and $2.4M paid, the year of Tropical Storm Lee and Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Montour County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 10, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 23, 2006 |
| 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.
25 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Sep 7, 2011 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Jun 28, 2006 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2006 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 16, 2006 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2006 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 25, 2018. I persistent upper level flow of moist southerly air brought waves of flooding and flash flooding to the region. Significant flooding was reported across eastern portions of the area. Two deaths were also reported, one person was washed away attempting to cross a stream, while a motorist was swept away in flood waters.
Flash Flood · Jul 24, 2017. Scattered showers and storms developed in a moderate CAPE / moderate shear environment across the middle Susquehanna Valley, and a handful of wind damage reports were received from this area. Additionally, an isolated supercell produced a brief EF0 tornado formed near Klines Grove in Northumberland County. Flash Flooding occurred in Montour, Columbia and Northumberland Counties.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2013. A MCV and broader mid-level trough crossed the central Appalachians and triggered strong to severe thunderstorms from the central ridges into the Susquehanna River Valley during the afternoon and evening. Very high boundary layer moisture and humidity contributed to heavy rainfall/flash flooding and precipitation loading within consolidating convection. While the deep layer flow and shear were somewhat modest, amb…
Flood · Sep 7, 2011. Heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee produced widespread flooding, flash flooding and river flooding mainly near and to the east of the Susquehanna Valley from September 4-10. Several locations in the Susquehanna Basin came close to records set by Hurricane Agnes (June 1972) and a few points (Bloomsburg, Hershey and Loyalsockville) set new floods of record. Flooding along Swatara Creek resulted i…
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 Montour 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.