126 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·3 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 Warren 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 Warren County, accounting for 27 of the 35 recorded flood events in the last 30 years alongside 8 general floods. These events are frequently driven by slow-moving storms, upper-level weather systems, and training thunderstorms that produce heavy rainfall over short periods. For example, a stalled upper-level system generated a multi-day rain event and flash flooding in July 2019, while a cold front and severe storms caused additional flash flooding in Warren and McKean counties in June 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties in Zone A experience the heaviest impacts, accounting for 71 claims with an average payout of $14,352 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties categorized as Zone X have recorded 20 claims with an average payout of $10,544 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN accounts for 33 claims averaging $2,890 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $9,760 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within FEMA Zone A, as these areas experience the highest frequency of claims, greatest average payouts, and deepest recorded water depths during flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Warren County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
73 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 6 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 1992, with 21 claims and $303,853 paid.
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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Warren County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Pennsylvania flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Tropical Storm Agnes | Jun 23, 1972 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2019 | $1.0M |
| Flood | Jun 25, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2013 | $2,500 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2009 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2024. Numerous showers and storms developed ahead of an approaching cold front on June 26, 2024. Some of these storms became severe, producing sporadic wind damage and a few severe hail reports across central Pennsylvania. There was also some flash flooding reported across the northwest mountains in portions of Warren and McKean counties.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2019. Heavy rainfall led to three areas of flash flooding during the evening hours on Wednesday June 19th.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2019. A Large upper level system moving through the Mid Atlantic resulted in a 3 day rain event that caused multiple flash floods through Central PA.
Flood · Jun 25, 2014. Deep southerly flow in advance of frontal zone lured a warm and very moist airmass into central PA, with PW values above the 90th percentile for late June. Very slow storm motions coupled with hourly rainfall rates in excess of 2 inches contributed to localized flooding.
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 Warren 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.