Phone lying on a kitchen counter in front of a window streaked with heavy rain

Miami Flooding and Your Home

Yes, parts of Miami flood, and not only in hurricanes. Heavy summer rain, king tides on sunny fall days and storm surge all reach homes here. Here is why, how to check your own risk, and what to do if water gets in.

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Does Miami flood? Why the answer is yes

Miami is built on a broad, flat plain between the Everglades and Biscayne Bay. Wikipedia's summary of the city's geography puts most neighborhoods at about 6 feet above sea level, with the highest natural point, in Coconut Grove, at 24 feet. Underneath is Miami limestone and the Biscayne Aquifer, with water reachable 15 to 20 feet below the surface. When the ground is already full of water and more arrives from the sky or the sea, there is not much room for it to go.

Three things bring that extra water, and they overlap in late summer and fall.

Water spread across a wood floor just inside an open patio door after heavy rain

Three ways water reaches Miami homes

The rainy season

The hot, wet season runs from May to October. Afternoon storms can drop inches in an hour, and multi-day systems are worse: in June 2024, more than 22 inches fell in northeast Miami-Dade, and the South Florida Water Management District set up temporary pumps along the Miami River.

King tides

The City of Miami calls them sunny day flooding: higher-than-normal tides, roughly September to November, lasting about three hours, that can flood streets near the coast and waterways and some low areas inland. WLRN reports Florida's porous limestone lets seawater push up through storm drains.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

The National Hurricane Center lists the season as June 1 to November 30, peaking around September 10. Surge, rain bands and wind-driven rain through windows and roofs all cause water damage, sometimes miles from the coast.

Find your Miami-Dade flood zone

Miami-Dade County's flood zone page lets you enter an address in an interactive tool, and its Flood Zone Hotline (305-372-6466, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) can give an official designation. The county says the FEMA maps in effect became effective on September 11, 2009, and that preliminary maps published in 2021 are not yet effective. Its summary of the zones:

Zone	What Miami-Dade says it means	Flood insurance
VE	High risk in coastal areas, including storm wave hazards	Mandatory
AE	Moderate to high risk, flood depths over three feet	Mandatory
AH	Moderate to high risk, shallow flooding of about one to three feet	Mandatory
AO	Sheet-flow areas with shallow flooding, typically one to three feet	Mandatory
A	High risk, no depths or base flood elevations shown	Mandatory
X	Moderate to low risk	Not federally required, but recommended

"Mandatory" here is the county's wording for homes with government-backed mortgages, which FEMA says must carry flood insurance in high-risk areas. Zone X does not mean dry; plenty of X-zone homes take on water in heavy rain.

Notebook and pen on a table by a window, for writing down flood zone and insurance details

What the cities are doing about it

City of Miami

The Miami Forever Bond invests $400 million across five categories, including $192 million for sea-level rise mitigation and flood prevention, with the stated goal of minimizing the frequency, severity, duration and impact of flooding.

Miami Beach

Miami Beach has spent heavily on stormwater pumps, higher seawalls and raised roads; some streets were raised about 2.5 feet. Raised streets can leave older lots lower than the road, which is one reason properties there still take on water.

Public projects reduce street flooding over time. They do not stop a storm from pushing rain through a window or a king tide from backing up a low drain, so planning at the house level still matters.

If water gets into your home

Stay safeKeep out of standing water near outlets and appliances, and out of floodwater, which can carry sewage and debris. Call 911 if anyone is in danger.
Stop what you canIf the water is from a pipe or appliance, shut the main water valve if you can reach it safely.
Document itPhotos of every room and the waterline before anything is moved.
Call your insurersHomeowners or condo insurer and any separate flood insurer.
Get drying startedCall (844) 906-3984 and you are connected with an independent local restoration company that can extract the water and start drying.

Read flood damage vs water damage for why the source of the water matters, and the Miami page for the city's neighborhoods and housing.

Living room with standing water across the carpet after rain flooded in

About this line: Dominion Water Damage is a free phone line, not a restoration company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local water damage restoration company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. You never pay the line. See how the line works.

Common questions

Is Miami flooded right now?

This page cannot tell you live conditions. For today, check alerts from the National Weather Service office in Miami, your city's emergency updates, and local news. If streets are flooded, the City of Miami says not to drive or walk through floodwater, which may be deeper than it looks and can carry pollutants.

Does Miami flood a lot?

Low parts of Miami-Dade flood several times a year. Most of Miami sits about 6 feet above sea level on porous limestone, the wet season runs May to October, king tides flood low coastal streets from roughly September to November, and big rain events such as June 2024 dropped more than 22 inches on northeast Miami-Dade in a few days.

What flood zone am I in?

Enter your address in Miami-Dade County's interactive flood zone tool, or call the county's Flood Zone Hotline at 305-372-6466 on weekdays. Broward and Palm Beach counties have their own lookups. The county says the FEMA maps in effect date from September 11, 2009, and the 2021 preliminary maps are not yet effective.

When are king tides in Miami?

The City of Miami lists 2026 king tide windows on Sept. 10 to 13, Sept. 26 to 30, Oct. 7 to 13, Oct. 24 to 30, Nov. 6 to 9 and Nov. 23 to 26, with the highest tides in October. Each episode typically lasts about three hours around the peak.

Do I need flood insurance in Miami?

If your home is in a high-risk zone such as AE or VE and you have a government-backed mortgage, FEMA says you must carry it. Miami-Dade describes flood insurance as recommended, though not federally required, in moderate to low risk Zone X. Ask your agent; the line does not give insurance advice.

Water where it should not be? Make one call

Call the free line any hour. Say what happened and whether water is still coming in, and the call is put through to an independent, locally owned restoration company that serves your area. That company looks at the damage and gives you its own price.

Call (844) 906-3984

Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by an automated assistant, in English or Spanish
Free to call. You never pay the line.
The company you are connected with inspects, quotes, does the work and is paid by you or your insurer, as you arrange.