Natural hazards · Ohio

Ohio, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ohio comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 303 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ohio?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ohio to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding82%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Ohio faces

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

Inland flooding

82% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Ohio flood?

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

303paid claims since 1978

$5.3Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 55 claims, $67K
Central U.S. April Flooding: 10 claims, $345K
March storm: 1 claim, $5K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Ohio isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Clermont County.

Disasters that hit Ohio

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Clermont County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ohio itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into OhioDeclared for Clermont County only

Clermont County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Ohio

Ohio and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ohiomostly inland floodingVery high

New Richmondmostly inland floodingVery high

Monroemostly inland floodingLow

Piercemostly inland floodingVery low

Ameliamostly 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. Ohio covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ohio’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ohio. 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 Ohio total about $3.0M 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.