90 flood insurance claims·$1.1M 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 Potter 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 and river flooding from severe weather events dominate the flood risk in Potter County, Pennsylvania. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, the county experienced 18 flash flood events, 10 flood events, and 1 tropical storm. Recent high-water events include floods and flash floods in May, June, and July 2025, driven by slow-moving thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and cold fronts. For example, a mid-level shortwave and ample atmospheric moisture on July 16, 2025, produced slow-moving showers and thunderstorms that caused flooding across hydrologically sensitive areas of northern Pennsylvania.
NFIP claim data indicates that properties located in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas bear the heaviest burden. Zone A properties account for the vast majority of historical claims with 72 filings, averaging $17,558 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. By comparison, properties in Zone X recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $9,207 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X unshaded properties saw fewer claims at 3, but averaged a higher payout of $31,181 with 0 inches of average recorded water depth. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in Zone A, where the frequency and severity of historical flood claims are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Potter County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
79 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 1996, with 32 claims and $257,290 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Potter County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 9, 2024 |
| 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 |
| 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.
29 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 16, 2025. A cold front across northwestern Pennsylvania allowed for severe thunderstorms to form during the early morning hours across northwestern Pennsylvania, briefly producing quarter-sized hail before moving northeastward into New York. Thunderstorms associated with a cold front across Ohio and western Pennsylvania continued progressing further eastward, becoming more separated from the surface cold front as they progr…
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Mid-level shortwave approaching the region, coupled with a low-level warm front, allowed for ample lift across central Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening hours of July 16, 2025. Ample moisture in place, with precipitable water values in the 1.80 to 2.20 range and very little deep-layer shear promoted slow-moving showers and thunderstorms with efficient rainfall rates across much of the area. Floodi…
Flood · Jun 9, 2025. A low pressure system stationed along the Hudson Bay allowed for central Pennsylvania to experience a brief period in the warm sector during the afternoon hours of June 9, 2025 ahead of a mid-level trough. This trough aided in large-scale ascent ahead of a surface cold front that aided in supercell development across western and central Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening with the trailing cold front, al…
Flash 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…
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 Potter 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.