1,721 flood insurance claims·$24.1M paid·8 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 Northumberland 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 Northumberland County, supported by 27 flash flood events and 20 general flood events over the last 30 years compared to just 1 tropical storm.
Recent weather data illustrates this pattern, including a September 2024 event driven by a warm front and severe thunderstorms, as well as multiple flash flood events on July 9, 2023, caused by slow-moving showers and thunderstorms in a warm, humid airmass ahead of a cold front.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims with 1,282 filings averaging an 18-inch water depth and $16,216 payouts. Properties in Shaded Zone X (172 claims, averaging 16 inches of water depth) and unshaded Zone X (50 claims, averaging 10 inches of water depth) also carry notable claim histories and require careful review.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Northumberland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,504 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 15 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 418 claims and $9.5M paid, the year of Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee and 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Northumberland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Snow | Feb 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 21, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Sep 21, 2024. A warm front approaching central Pennsylvania in an environment of sufficient instability and shear allowed for thunderstorm formation during the late afternoon and evening hours, with multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms crossing the northern tier of Pennsylvania. The multiple rounds of heavy rainfall, coupled with local topography, allowed for flash flooding across hydrologically sensitive areas of Potter and…
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed in a warm and humid airmass over central Pennsylvania with moderate CAPE and very little CIN ahead of an approaching cold front. A few of the storms produced sporadic wind damage, and the widespread nature of this activity allowed the event to evolve into a flash flooding threat as well.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2021. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early evening of July 16, 2021, in a very warm, humid airmass just south of a stalled frontal boundary that was draped across northern Pennsylvania. A few of these storms produced wind damage, including a particularly tall cell that produced winds estimated by a NWS Survey Team to be 85 to 95 mph in a wet microburst near Haneyville in northern…
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2019. Slow moving thunderstorms brought flash flooding to portions of central Pennsylvania during the afternoon of August 2nd.
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 Northumberland 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.