1,561 flood insurance claims·$46.6M paid·9 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 Northampton 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 heavy summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Northampton County, supported by decades of recorded storm events. NOAA records document persistent flash flood events across the region, including heavy rains from predecessor rainfall ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024 and localized rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches from thunderstorms on July 14, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that flood risks extend across multiple designated zones within the county. Properties located in FEMA Zone A account for the highest volume of claims at 1,091, with an average payout of $36,943 and an average recorded water depth of 25 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents handling properties in Zone A, as well as various Zone X designations—including shaded and unshaded areas—should pay close attention to historical risk data. Zone X properties recorded 201 claims with an average payout of $37,387 and an average water depth of 17 inches. Shaded Zone X properties averaged 25 inches of water depth across 141 claims, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded an average water depth of 36 inches across 66 claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
16% of Northampton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,298 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 24 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 329 claims and $10.8M 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Northampton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Aug 31, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 10, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 3, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 23, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
139 since 1996: 99 flash floods and 38 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 3, 2025. A cold front, moving through the region, was responsible for heavy rain and flash flooding.
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.
Flash Flood · Aug 6, 2024. A predecessor rainfall event set up ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. A hot and humid airmass was in place, resulting in a very moist and unstable airmass. A few showers and thunderstorms developed, producing very heavy rain in southeastern PA.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2023. Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rain in eastern Pennsylvania from the late afternoon into the nighttime hours of June 26. Rainfall totals were as high as 2 to 5 inches.
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 Northampton 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.