Florida Floods: The Record Since 1978

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When was the last big flood in Florida?

As of October 31, 2026, the most recent federal storm or flood declaration for Florida is DR-4955-FL, Hurricane Isaias. The storm hit from October 6 to October 12, 2026. FEMA declared it a major disaster on October 27, 2026 for 15 Panhandle counties. It covers public assistance only. We check this line again each time we refresh the page.

Isaias is not in the claims numbers on this page yet. FEMA's claims data runs to September 8, 2026.

Florida has had 107 federal storm and flood declarations from 1953 to October 31, 2026. Of those, 76 were major disaster declarations (DR) and 31 were emergency declarations (EM). The first was a flood declaration on October 22, 1953. There have been 18 major disaster declarations for storms and floods since 2016.

These are the major disaster declarations for Florida storms and floods from 2004 to 2026. "Counties" counts county areas only. Some declarations also covered tribal lands, and three were for the Seminole Tribe of Florida alone (0 counties).

So which storms cost the most? See the top 10.

Which Florida floods cost the most?

By NFIP claims paid, the worst flood in Florida's record is Hurricane Helene in 2024: 54,676 claims and $6,487,101,300 paid. Hurricane Ian in 2022 is second. These rankings use flood insurance dollars only. They do not rank storms by deaths, rain or how high the water rose.

These are the 10 costliest NFIP flood events in Florida since 1978. Claims are a count of claims filed, paid or not. Paid is in dollars, as reported, with no inflation adjustment. The event names are FEMA's.

"Blizzard of 1993" is FEMA's name for the March 1993 storm, not ours.

How does each year compare? See every year since 1978.

How much does Florida flood each year?

Two years stand out. In 2024, the NFIP paid $7,903,607,619 on 80,446 Florida claims. In 2022, it paid $4,948,763,953 on 50,324 claims. Those two years are 66% of all NFIP dollars paid in Florida since 1978. That is about two-thirds.

In the last 10 whole years (2016 to 2025), Florida had 199,277 NFIP claims and $15,476,386,615 paid. Since 1978, there have been 448,618 claims. Of those, 313,638 had a payment, and the total paid is $19,370,523,710.

How to read the table:

• Claims counts every NFIP claim with a loss in that year, paid or not.
• Claims with a payment counts the claims where building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments add up to more than $0.
• Paid is the building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments added up, in dollars as reported. The bar shows that year's paid dollars next to 2024, the biggest year.
• 2026 is partial. It runs only to September 8, 2026. Claims for 2025 can still be added or changed.
• These are NFIP claims only. Claims on private flood policies are not in FEMA's data.

Does a flood need a hurricane? Not always.

Do floods only come with hurricanes?

No. Some of the costliest NFIP flood events in Florida came with no hurricane or tropical storm. Three of them are in the top 25:

• April 2023: FEMA calls it "April Florida Flooding." It was the Fort Lauderdale rain. It had 3,443 claims and $246,360,920 paid, the 9th costliest event in the record. Its major disaster declaration, DR-4709-FL, covered Broward County only.
• Spring 2014: FEMA calls it "Mid-spring storms." It is the 19th costliest event.
• June 2024: FEMA calls it "June South Florida Flooding." It had 1,478 claims and $92,807,149 paid.

The June 2024 flood had no federal disaster declaration for Florida. FEMA's declarations list has no Florida declaration that started in June 2024. The nearest is DR-4794-FL, for severe storms on May 10, 2024. So heavy flood losses can come with no federal declaration at all. That is one reason federal disaster aid is not a flood plan.

Which counties come up most? See the county list.

Which Florida counties get declared most?

These counties are named most often in federal major disaster declarations for storms and floods, all years: Bay 30, Gulf 29, Franklin 28, Okaloosa 27, Wakulla 27, Santa Rosa 26, Jefferson 24, Walton 24, Calhoun 24 and Liberty 24. All ten are in the Panhandle.

Among the counties named least: Miami-Dade 10 (plus 5 more as "Dade" in older records), Indian River 13, Alachua 13 and Orange 14.

Declarations count events, not dollars. Miami-Dade County has had 62,029 NFIP claims since 1978, and Broward County has had 35,049. That is far more than most Panhandle counties. So this list shows where storms were declared most often, not where floods cost the most.

See the flood record for your county: Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Miami-Dade County and Broward County. More Florida county pages are on the way.

So what does this mean for one home? Read on.

What does Florida's flood record mean for my home?

A state record can't tell you about one building. Two things matter most for your flood insurance:

• Your flood zone decides whether your lender requires flood insurance. A federally regulated lender will require it in a high-risk zone (any zone starting with A or V).
• Same flood zone, very different prices. Under Risk Rating 2.0, the NFIP price is figured from the building and its spot: how high the first floor sits, what it costs to rebuild, and how often that spot floods. See what goes into the price.

NFIP flood policies have a 30-day waiting period. The big exception: if you buy the policy as part of getting, refinancing, increasing, extending or renewing a loan on the home, coverage can start at closing with no wait, as long as the application and payment are in by closing. Read the full wait rules.

FEMA does not publish flood claims for one address. Buying a home? Since October 1, 2024, Florida sellers must give the buyer a flood disclosure at or before signing the sales contract.

Want to know your zone? Check my address to see the FEMA flood zone for that exact spot. A licensed, independent insurance agent replies with the NFIP and private options for your property.

Questions about Florida flood history

When was the last flood in Florida?

As of October 31, 2026, the most recent federal storm or flood declaration for Florida is Hurricane Isaias, DR-4955-FL. It was declared on October 27, 2026 for 15 Panhandle counties, after the storm of October 6 to October 12, 2026.

What was the worst flood in Florida history?

By NFIP claims paid, Hurricane Helene in 2024: 54,676 claims and $6,487,101,300 paid. That ranks storms by flood insurance dollars, not by deaths, rain or water height.

How many flood insurance claims has Florida had?

From 1978 to September 8, 2026, Florida had 448,618 NFIP claims. Of those, 313,638 had a payment. The NFIP paid $19,370,523,710 in all.

Does every big flood get a federal disaster declaration?

No. The June 2024 South Florida flooding had 1,478 NFIP claims and $92,807,149 paid, with no federal disaster declaration for Florida.

Facts last checked October 31, 2026. Every figure comes from the federal or state source listed above.