506 flood insurance claims·$13.3M 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 Susquehanna 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 and tropical moisture systems dominates the flood risk profile in Susquehanna County, PA, accounting for 97 recorded events and 1 death over the last 30 years compared to 9 standard flood events. Recent severe impacts include a mesoscale convective system in June 2025 that dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain within a 6-hour period, producing widespread flash flooding and small river flooding. Additionally, prolonged torrential rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024 destroyed roads and bridges, impacted numerous properties, and required the deployment of swiftwater rescue teams.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for the highest claim volume with 322 claims averaging $28,820 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. However, properties in moderate-to-low risk zones also face significant impacts, including 72 claims in Zone X averaging $38,031 with an average water depth of 12 inches, 53 claims in Zone X_UNSHADED averaging $30,948 with an average depth of 7 inches, and 30 claims in Zone X_SHADED averaging $38,767 with an average depth of 23 inches. An additional 29 claims were recorded in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $6,118 and an average water depth of 8 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A due to the high frequency of claims, as well as properties in Zone X_SHADED, which recorded the highest average water depth at 23 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Susquehanna County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
405 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 14 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 151 claims and $5.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene, 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.
64 NOAA storm reports from Susquehanna County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 9, 2024 |
| 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 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Nov 16, 2006 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Jun 23, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
106 since 1996: 97 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $8,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2025. A mesoscale convective system (MCS) dropped southward across Central NY from eastern Ontario, moving into an environment with plenty of moisture and instability during the early morning hours. Torrential rainfall accompanied these storms and produced widespread flash flooding and small river flooding. Estimates of 3 to 5 inches, with locally higher amounts, fell mostly within a 6-hour period and affected portions…
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2024. Deep moisture combined with an approaching cold front and a favorable position of the jet stream triggered numerous heavy rain producing thunderstorms over northeastern Pennsylvania. Locally heavy rainfall totaled between 3 and 4 inches over a short period of time which caused areas of significant flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. A deep plume of tropical moisture had spread over Northeast Pennsylvania ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Prolonged torrential rains blanketed the region during the night and early morning hours before becoming enhanced by the approaching tropical remnants. This enhancement of rainfall led to widespread flash flooding in many parts of the region where roads and bridges were destroyed and washed away…
Flood · Aug 9, 2024. A deep plume of tropical moisture had spread over Northeast Pennsylvania ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Prolonged torrential rains blanketed the region during the night and early morning hours before becoming enhanced by the approaching tropical remnants. This enhancement of rainfall led to widespread flash flooding in many parts of the region where roads and bridges were destroyed and washed away…
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 Susquehanna 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.