Does Midtown flood?
Midtown, Miami, FL · ZIP codes 33127, 33142, 33137, 33132 and 33156: the ZIP codes on most of the flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines.
Yes. Insured properties in and around Midtown have filed flood claims. No part of Midtown’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area on the current effective map; it is in Zone X. NFIP flood insurance records list 15 claims from the Census block groups that cover Midtown, from 1981 through 2015. 10 of them received a payment, totaling $331,349 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 2000 (5 claims), 1999 (3 claims), 1994 (2 claims).
Past claims do not predict future flooding, and a neighborhood figure cannot tell you about one building. Look up the exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (or the Miami-Dade County Flood Zone map viewer) and get flood insurance quotes before you sign a lease or a contract.
Check a specific address in Midtown
Neighborhood figures are averages. Our address check looks up the FEMA flood zone and the hurricane evacuation zone at one address, from the same public maps: check if your address is in a flood zone.
Flood zones street by street in Midtown
The named streets in Midtown, longest first, with how much of each street’s length inside Midtown lies in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones (the Special Flood Hazard Area, zones A and V). Length is the part inside Midtown; the main zone is the FEMA zone covering most of that length. A street can cross several zones, so the zone at one address can differ from the street’s main zone: check the address above for that.
| Street | Length | In high-risk zones | Main zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| NE 1st Ave | 2,730 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| N Miami Ave | 2,170 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| E Coast Ave | 1,780 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| NE 36th St | 1,460 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| Buena Vista Ave | 1,370 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| NE 34th St | 1,200 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| NE 32nd St | 1,080 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| NE 29th St | 880 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| NE 31st St | 630 ft | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
Streets: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Transportation (primary, secondary and local roads). Flood zones: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels, retrieved October 24, 2026. Each street is clipped to the neighborhood boundary and measured in an equal-area projection. Street lengths are rounded.
Flood zones in Midtown
Share of Midtown’s mapped area (about 0.298 km²) in each FEMA flood zone, from FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Effective date of the FIRM panel(s) covering it (12086C0312L): September 11, 2009.
| FEMA zone | Share of area |
|---|---|
| X (unshaded, minimal) | 100% |
What the zones mean
- Zone AE (and A, AH, AO)
- High-risk: part of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the area FEMA maps as having a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year (the “100-year” or base flood). AE areas have a mapped base flood elevation.
- Zone VE (and V)
- High-risk coastal areas, also in the SFHA, where the base flood is expected to bring additional hazards from storm waves.
- Zone X (shaded)
- Moderate hazard: between the limits of the 1-percent and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance (“500-year”) flood.
- Zone X (unshaded)
- Minimal hazard: outside the SFHA and higher than the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood elevation. Minimal is not zero: flood claims are filed from X zones too.
Source: FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
Flood insurance claims over time
Claims filed under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) from the 2010 Census block groups that cover Midtown. About 58% of the combined area of those block groups lies inside Midtown, so the claim figures also reflect some nearby blocks. Only insured properties appear, so these counts understate total flooding.
By decade
| Decade | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2 | $0 |
| 1990s | 6 | $221,910 |
| 2000s | 6 | $82,007 |
| 2010s | 1 | $27,432 |
By year of loss
Named flood events with the most claims
- Flooding: 6 claims
- Hurricane Irene: 3 claims
- Hurricane Andrew: 1 claims
FEMA labels some events only as “Flooding”. Claims by the flood zone the property was rated in:
- A/AE/AH/AO (high risk): 11
- X/B/C (moderate or minimal): 4
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Before you rent or buy in Midtown
- Look up the exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; a neighborhood can mix high-risk and minimal-hazard zones.
- Ask the landlord or seller about past flooding and flood insurance claims at the property.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: new NFIP policies usually take 30 days to start (FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy).
- Ask which floor the unit is on and where parking, storage and mechanical equipment sit.
- Hiring movers? Check the moving company’s federal license and insurance first with the free Miami mover check.
Living in Midtown
Flood maps are only one part of choosing a neighborhood. For what day-to-day life in Midtown is like, from parks to errands, see Living in Midtown, Miami on StrollPlace.
Buyer and renter FAQ
Does Midtown flood?
Yes. Insured properties in and around Midtown have filed flood claims. No part of Midtown’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area on the current effective map; it is in Zone X. NFIP flood insurance records list 15 claims from the Census block groups that cover Midtown, from 1981 through 2015. 10 of them received a payment, totaling $331,349 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 2000 (5 claims), 1999 (3 claims), 1994 (2 claims). Past claims do not predict future flooding, and conditions vary street by street, so check the specific address.
Is Midtown in a flood zone?
No part of Midtown’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area on the current effective map; it is in Zone X. Shares by zone: X (unshaded, minimal) 100%. The FIRM panel(s) covering it took effect September 11, 2009.
Which streets in Midtown are in a high-risk flood zone?
No street listed here has most of its length in FEMA high-risk zones. Less than 10% of NE 1st Ave, N Miami Ave, E Coast Ave, NE 36th St, Buena Vista Ave, NE 34th St, NE 32nd St and NE 29th St does. Zones can change along a street, so check the exact address.
What ZIP code is Midtown in?
Midtown is in Miami, FL. ZIP codes 33127, 33142, 33137, 33132 and 33156: the ZIP codes on most of the flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines. Check the specific address for its own flood zone.
Do renters need flood insurance?
Standard renters policies usually do not cover flood. Renters in a community that participates in the NFIP can buy contents-only flood coverage, up to $100,000 for belongings.
How long does a new flood policy take to start?
A new NFIP policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase. Exceptions include no wait when the policy is bought while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage, and a one-day wait in a newly designated high-risk zone within 12 months of the map change.
How much coverage can NFIP provide?
For a one-to-four family home, NFIP building coverage goes up to $250,000 and contents coverage up to $100,000. You can buy flood insurance even if you are not in a high-risk zone, as long as your community participates in the NFIP.
FAQ sources: FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy; FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025); 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
Nearby neighborhoods
- Buena Vista Heights – living in Buena Vista Heights (StrollPlace)
- Design District – living in Design District (StrollPlace)
- Magnolia Park – living in Magnolia Park (StrollPlace)
- Does Old San Juan flood?
- Does Edgewater flood?
- Wynwood Industrial District
How these numbers were made
Neighborhood boundary: City of Miami, Miami Neighborhoods (ArcGIS feature service). Flood zone shares: the neighborhood polygon intersected with FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels, area computed in an equal-area projection; retrieved October 24, 2026. Claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3 records for Miami-Dade County (county code 12086), dataset as of September 8, 2026, retrieved October 24, 2026. A 2010 Census block group is counted for a neighborhood when at least 25% of the block group lies inside the neighborhood, or at least 25% of the neighborhood lies inside the block group. Block groups used: 120860026001 (57.8% of the block group is inside Midtown). Neighboring pages can share a block group, so their counts can overlap. Paid totals add building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments and are not adjusted for inflation; a claim whose FEMA record shows a negative payment (an adjustment) counts as zero. See the methodology.
Sources
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims - v3. Retrieved on October 24, 2026.
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Retrieved on October 24, 2026.
- City of Miami, Miami Neighborhoods (ArcGIS feature service).
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, 2010 Census Block Groups.
- FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
- FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy.
- FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025).
- 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
- OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Transportation (primary, secondary and local roads).
Data as of September 8, 2026 (FEMA claims) and October 24, 2026 (flood zones). Page last updated October 31, 2026.