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Natural hazards · Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cincinnati comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 723 claims here since 1978. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Cincinnati?

24
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cincinnati to be higher than in 24% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding48%Tornadoes24%Heat waves12%Cold waves8%Everything else8%
By hazard

What Cincinnati faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

24% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Heat waves

12% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Cincinnati flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cincinnati, from FEMA’s records.

723paid claims since 1978
$21.8Mpaid to owners
81homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 113 claims, $474K
  • Central U.S. April Flooding: 49 claims, $3.5M
  • March storm: 1 claim, $1K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 2 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (17) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Cincinnati isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hamilton County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

270flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
11buildings floodproofed
11storm safe rooms built
1flood-prone homes bought out and moved
Disasters that hit Cincinnati

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Cincinnati itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Cincinnati.

Brought FEMA money into CincinnatiDeclared for Hamilton County only
2018

Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides

$595K to the City of Cincinnati for repairs
2011

Severe Storms and Flooding

$1.6M to the City of Cincinnati for repairs
2008

Severe Wind Storm Associated With Tropical Depression Ike

$3.4M to the City of Cincinnati for repairs
2005

Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

$286K to the City of Cincinnati for repairs
2004

Snow

$357K to the City of Cincinnati for repairs
2001

Severe Storms and Flooding

$731K to the City of Cincinnati for repairs
Hamilton County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Cincinnati

Cincinnati and the towns around it

Anderson: Low, mostly inland floodingDelhi: Very low, mostly inland floodingColumbia: Low, mostly inland floodingSpringfield: Low, mostly inland floodingGreen: Low, mostly inland floodingMiami: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFinneytown: Low, mostly inland floodingAddyston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDelhi Hills: Very low, mostly inland floodingMonfort Heights: Very low, mostly inland floodingFairfax: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth College Hill: Low, mostly inland floodingTurpin Hills: Low, mostly inland floodingSalem Heights: Low, mostly inland floodingColdstream: Moderate, mostly inland floodingTerrace Park: High, mostly inland floodingSherwood: Very low, mostly inland floodingFruit Hill: Low, mostly inland floodingMariemont: High, mostly inland floodingUnion: Very low, mostly inland floodingPierce: Very low, mostly inland floodingDelshire: Low, mostly inland floodingCovedale: Low, mostly inland floodingMack: Low, mostly inland floodingThe Village of Indian Hill: Low, mostly inland floodingMadeira: Very low, mostly inland floodingMadison Place: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSilverton: Very low, mostly inland floodingPlainville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRidgewood: Low, mostly inland floodingKenwood: Very low, mostly inland floodingAmberley: Low, mostly inland floodingWyoming: Low, mostly inland floodingMount Healthy: Very low, mostly inland floodingForest Park: Very low, mostly tornadoesGreenhills: Very low, mostly inland floodingPleasant Run Farm: Very low, mostly tornadoesNew Burlington: Low, mostly inland floodingWoodlawn: Very low, mostly inland floodingSkyline Acres: Low, mostly inland floodingSpringdale: Very low, mostly inland floodingBridgetown: Very low, mostly inland floodingCheviot: Very low, mostly tornadoesWhite Oak: Low, mostly inland floodingDent: Moderate, mostly inland floodingColerain: Low, mostly inland floodingGrandview: High, mostly inland floodingCincinnati: Low, mostly inland flooding CincinnatiAndersonDelhiColumbiaSpringfieldGreenMiamiFinneytownAddystonDelhi HillsMonfort HeightsFairfaxNorth College Hill
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Miamimostly inland floodingModerate
Addystonmostly inland floodingModerate
Fairfaxmostly inland floodingModerate
Greenmostly inland floodingLow
Columbiamostly inland floodingLow
Cincinnatimostly inland floodingLow
Andersonmostly inland floodingLow
Springfieldmostly inland floodingLow
North College Hillmostly inland floodingLow
Finneytownmostly inland floodingLow
Monfort Heightsmostly inland floodingVery low
Delhi Hillsmostly inland floodingVery low
Delhimostly inland floodingVery low
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Cincinnati covers 106 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cincinnati’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Cincinnati. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Cincinnati total about $78.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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