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Montgomery County, PA flood insurance claims history

6,200 claims under the National Flood Insurance Program have been filed for flood losses in Montgomery County since 1978, and FEMA has paid out $185.3M on them. The worst year was 2011 with 811 claims. Montgomery County ranks #1 of 67 in Pennsylvania by claim count.

At a glance

  • 36% of claims came from buildings outside FEMA’s high-risk flood zones (B, C or X), where lenders usually do not require flood insurance.
  • Flood claims were filed in 10 of the last 10 years — flooding here is a regular event, not a once-in-a-generation one.
  • The most flood claims of all 67 Pennsylvania counties with claims on file — and more than all 6 of its neighbors.
  • ZIP 19403 has the most claims in the county (810, 13%). Check your ZIP →
NFIP claims
6,200
1978–2026
Total paid
$185.3M
nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted
Claims paid
82%
5,081 received a payment
Average payout
$36K
per paid claim
Last 10 years
1,130
claims 2017 – 2026
Most recent loss
2026-08-27
data as of 2026-09-08

Look up your ZIP code

Pick your ZIP code to see how many insured buildings there filed flood claims, in which years, and how much was paid — and which named floods those claims came from, which a county-wide list cannot tell you. Narrow by year or flood zone too. Everything runs in your browser — nothing you pick is sent anywhere. Have a street address? Run the printable flood check for it →

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Flood claims by year

Peak: 811 claims in 2011

Claims by year of loss, 1978–2026. Spikes line up with named storms and major rain events; quiet years still see claims from local flash flooding.

Biggest flood events in Montgomery County

Flood event (FEMA name)ClaimsPaidAvg / claimYear
Hurricane Ida598$51.4M$86K2021
Hurricane Floyd489$22.7M$46K1999
Hurricane Irene424$15.0M$35K2011
Tropical Storm Allison399$22.1M$55K2001
Tropical Storm Lee342$9.8M$29K2011
Not a named storm302$2.0M$7K1979
Hurricane Isaias237$9.6M$41K2020
Flooding (FEMA general label)217$4.4M$20K1996
Mid-spring storms156$3.4M$22K2014
Tropical Storm Ivan35$314K$9K2004
Hurricane Gloria32$105K$3K1985
Tropical Storm Fred14$1.1M$79K2021

52% of claims here fall under these 12 entries. “FEMA general label” groups many separate floods under one name; the rest of the claims have no event name.

Flood zones in Montgomery County: which ones the claims came from

Montgomery County is not in one flood zone. FEMA draws zones parcel by parcel, so one street can be Zone AE and the next Zone X — there is no single zone for a whole county. What the claim record can tell you is which zones buildings were actually rated in when they flooded, and what each zone has cost here.

High-risk A zones: 3,817 (62%)Coastal high-risk V zones: 5 (0%)Moderate / low-risk zones (B, C, X): 2,176 (35%)Zone not recorded: 202 (3%)

The most common zone on Montgomery County claims is Zone AE — 2,227 of 5,999 claims with a zone on file (37%). 64% were in a high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area, where a federally backed mortgage makes flood insurance mandatory. Open any zone below for what it means and whether it requires insurance.

Flood zone at ratingClaimsSharePaidAvg / claim
Zone AE · high risk, insurance required2,22737%$105.5M$47K
Zone X · moderate / low risk1,56626%$39.8M$25K
Zone A1–A30 · high risk, insurance required98816%$17.8M$18K
Zone A · high risk, insurance required58710%$10.8M$18K
Zone C · moderate / low risk3285%$5.0M$15K
Zone B · moderate / low risk2825%$5.2M$18K
Zone AO · high risk, insurance required150%$346K$23K
Zone V · high risk, insurance required50%$18K$4K
Zone D · not studied10%$503$503

The zone is the one used to rate the policy when the claim was paid, not today’s map — FEMA remaps areas, so a building rated AE in 1995 may sit in a different zone now. AHB and AOB are older AH / AO variants; A1–A30 and V1–V30 are numbered zones from pre-2000 maps. 201 Montgomery County claims have no zone recorded and are left out of the shares above. Not sure what the letters mean? Flood zones explained →

What caused the flooding

Cause of damage (as coded by FEMA)ClaimsShare
Stream, river or lake overflow2,55841%
Accumulation of rainfall or snowmelt2,43239%
Tidal water overflow (storm surge)83213%
Other causes3025%
Not recorded491%
Alluvial fan overflow140%

Flood claims by ZIP code in Montgomery County

94 ZIP codes in Montgomery County have at least one NFIP claim. ZIP codes can cross county lines; this table counts only claims FEMA assigned to Montgomery County.

19403810$20.7M13%332026
19002388$7.7M6%342026
19040345$12.6M6%302023
19426330$11.0M5%292022
19006288$12.0M5%322025
19034281$27.7M5%272021
19460270$7.2M4%192024
19464244$3.2M4%232023
19428237$17.0M4%312023
19473193$6.2M3%242023
19405187$6.0M3%192021
19401187$4.4M3%292021
19038182$1.3M3%282022
19001174$2.0M3%282024
19027174$1.7M3%282024
19453160$3.5M3%142021
19046144$2.0M2%262021
19031125$3.8M2%182021
19035111$2.5M2%222021
19096109$1.2M2%242026
1909583$3.6M1%222021
1940680$4.4M1%252025
1904471$1.4M1%152026
1944071$1.2M1%202025
1909049$1.0M1%132023
1943847$793K1%192021
1907546$202K1%122012
1891546$3.7M1%132024
1952545$1.1M1%142021
1944641$818K1%202021
1901040$279K1%182021
1907240$201K1%132023
1805439$1.2M1%102023
1807437$1.5M1%162021
1944435$474K1%122022
1945634$631K1%142021
1946231$1.5M1%122021
1942030$439K0%122014
1901227$171K0%122013
1946827$626K0%102021
1900426$1.5M0%192021
1945425$271K0%142026
1908725$236K0%122021
Not reported24$354K0%71987
1902522$466K0%112021
1942222$166K0%102021
1947820$510K0%92021
1808418$112K0%92021
1906616$49K0%92015
1947414$95K0%72021
1904111$336K0%92021
1947710$230K0%92021
190099$332K0%72021
191178$20K0%52001
180738$158K0%82026
100007$59K0%52021
190856$9600%52018
194376$135K0%42011
191516$8K0%41985
190034$5K0%32020
194094$48K0%32003
191284$53K0%32021
189364$39K0%31999
194044$69K0%22021
189643$21K0%32021
190453$704K0%31999
194912$51K0%11983
180412$23K0%22019
194722$56K0%22020
191112$2760%21980
194512$41K0%11984
194751$8060%11984
191181$3K0%11978
166011$00%12003
194231$00%11978
195051$00%12026
195281$25K0%11979
180781$00%11983
190001$00%11994
191261$00%11984
194351$6K0%12005
191071$138K0%11999
194861$00%12009
180761$5270%11979
191061$8920%11978
195121$1K0%12011
195041$9K0%12020
194901$2720%11978
196011$5K0%11996
189441$27K0%11984
164261$00%11979
189691$7K0%12018
180701$00%11999
191161$9680%11994

Click a column to sort. Click a ZIP to load it in the lookup above.

When does Montgomery County flood?

September accounts for the most flood losses (1,970 claims, 32%). Claims by month of loss:

MonthClaimsShare
January68811%
February831%
March831%
April2664%
May1082%
June84514%
July4998%
August1,16919%
September1,97032%
October2905%
November180%
December1813%

Year-by-year detail

Year of lossClaimsPaid
202613$39K
20254$98K
202418$195K
202327$347K
20226$17K
2021634$52.6M
2020258$9.8M
201993$2.8M
201866$2.1M
201711$26K
20167$8K
201512$335K
2014169$3.4M
201317$147K
201225$65K
2011811$25.4M
2010150$2.2M
2009232$6.5M
200811$40K
200758$647K
2006243$6.3M
2005132$2.1M
2004335$7.0M
200373$435K
20028$7K
2001414$22.1M
200030$112K
1999553$23.7M
19987$18K
19973$21K
1996458$8.3M
199513$43K
199457$459K
1993135$1.4M
199211$23K
199128$198K
19909$26K
198962$609K
198816$57K
198714$67K
19869$7K
198538$155K
1984219$1.6M
198388$385K
198270$526K
19815$1K
198037$257K
1979394$2.4M
1978117$333K

Neighboring counties

Montgomery County borders 6 areas we cover. Flood risk does not stop at a county line, so it is worth comparing.

NeighborClaimsPaidOutside high-risk
Montgomery County (this page)6,200$185.3M36%
Bucks County5,260$149.8M26%
Delaware County3,034$57.2M32%
Chester County1,914$37.6M29%
Philadelphia County1,700$47.6M41%
Berks County1,313$23.6M37%
Lehigh County967$12.4M33%

All 67 Pennsylvania counties → · County and ZIP rankings →

Common questions about flooding in Montgomery County

Has Montgomery County flooded recently?
Yes — the most recent flood loss with an insurance claim on file was on 2026-08-27, and claims were filed in 10 of the last 10 years (1,130 claims from 2017 to 2026). FEMA’s data runs to 2026-09-08, so the newest events may not appear yet.
What flood zone is Montgomery County in?
There is no single answer — zones are drawn parcel by parcel, so one street can be Zone AE and the next Zone X. Across 5,999 Montgomery County claims with a zone on file, the most common was Zone AE (37%), and 64% were in a high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. For one address, look it up on the free flood check or FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center; the zone breakdown above shows what each zone has cost here.
Do I need flood insurance in a low-risk zone here?
Lenders generally require it only in high-risk A and V zones. But 36% of Montgomery County’s claims came from moderate- and low-risk zones. Whether to buy coverage is your call — see flood zones explained and check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Can I see whether a specific house has flooded?
Not here. FEMA removes addresses before publishing, so these figures describe areas, never a property. Our guide how to check if a house has flooded lists the questions and records that can tell you about a specific home.
Why might the real number of floods be higher?
Only buildings with National Flood Insurance can file these claims, and most homes are not insured for flood. More on what the counts mean in understanding NFIP claims data.

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About these numbers

Figures are aggregated from FEMA’s OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims dataset (county FIPS 42091, data as of 2026-09-08). They cover only properties that carried National Flood Insurance — most homes do not, and private flood policies are not included — so real flood damage is larger than these counts show. Dollar amounts are as paid, in nominal dollars. Flood zone is the zone used to rate the policy at the time, which may differ from today’s map. FEMA states this dataset is not an official federal report. Use it for background, not for a purchase, insurance or legal decision; for a specific property ask the seller for its flood disclosure or the owner’s NFIP loss history.

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