479 flood insurance claims·$7.1M paid·8 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Litchfield County, Connecticut. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Litchfield County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by regular flood and flash flood events, alongside occasional tropical systems. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 94 floods, 92 flash floods, four tropical storms, and two tropical depressions, resulting in one death.
Heavy rainfall events frequently threaten the area, as demonstrated on August 18, 2024, when a coastal low pressure system brought prolonged heavy rainfall—accumulating between 1.75 and 8.80 inches, particularly in southern Litchfield County. This event caused flash flooding that led to numerous road closures, damaged roadways and business parking lots, and flooded home basements in impacted towns including Roxbury.
Property owners and real estate agents should pay close attention to historical claim patterns across FEMA flood zones. Zone A carries the highest volume of risk with 263 claims averaging $29,662 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X_SHADED recorded 39 claims with an average payout of $29,797 and an average water depth of 5 inches, and unshaded Zone X properties recorded 64 claims averaging $10,154 with an average water depth of 3 inches. Zone X properties recorded 59 claims averaging $7,623 with an average water depth of 19 inches, and unknown zones recorded 53 claims averaging $1,572 with a 2-inch average water depth.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of Litchfield County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
367 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 10 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2011, with 131 claims and $3.4M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene and Severe Storm.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
70 NOAA storm reports from Litchfield County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Connecticut flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Aug 18, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Aug 18, 2024 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | Aug 4, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
192 since 1996: 92 flash floods and 94 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $3,500 |
| Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2024. A cold front tracking south east across northwest Connecticut brought scattered showers and thunderstorms, some of which became severe in Litchfield County. Severe thunderstorms resulted in numerous reports of downed trees and wires, in addition to nearly 500 people without power. Additionally, heavy rain resulted in an isolated instance of flash flooding wherein Route 199 in Roxbury was washed out in the town of…
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2024. A coastal low pressure system led to prolonged periods of heavy rainfall in northwest Connecticut on August 18, 2024. Rainfall totals were greatest in southern Litchfield County where total accumulations ranged from 1.75 to 8.80. As a result, numerous instances of flash flooding were reported. Flash flooding led to numerous road closures, damaged roadways, and damaged business parking lots. Additionally, numerous…
Flood · Aug 18, 2024. A coastal low pressure system led to prolonged periods of heavy rainfall in northwest Connecticut on August 18, 2024. Rainfall totals were greatest in southern Litchfield County where total accumulations ranged from 1.75 to 8.80. As a result, numerous instances of flash flooding were reported. Flash flooding led to numerous road closures, damaged roadways, and damaged business parking lots. Additionally, numerous…
Flood · Jan 10, 2024. A strong storm system brought gusty winds, heavy rainfall, river flooding and a light accumulation of high elevation wet snow to northwestern Connecticut from the afternoon hours on January 9 into the early morning hours on January 10, 2024. The main impact from this system was the heavy rainfall as widespread 2 to 4 inches of rain fell across Litchfield County. This resulted in flooding along the Still and Housat…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Litchfield County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.