2,155 flood insurance claims·$30.9M paid·7 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 New London 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.
Flash flooding and inland river flooding dominate the flood risk profile of New London County, accounting for the majority of the 146 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside coastal flooding, tropical storms, and storm surges.
Recent weather events illustrate these varied risks. A low pressure system on January 10, 2024, brought long-duration moderate to heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches, causing widespread river flooding, localized flash flooding, and moderate coastal flooding along the southeast Connecticut coastline when combined with high astronomical tides. Later, on July 16, 2023, torrential thunderstorms in a tropical airmass produced rainfall rates of up to 3 inches an hour and widespread totals of 2 to 4 inches, resulting in flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that risks extend beyond high-hazard areas. Zone A has received the highest volume with 1,295 claims averaging a payout of $19,765 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, Zone V properties face high severity, averaging $31,592 per payout with an average water depth of 9 inches across 198 claims. Properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X designations have also experienced hundreds of claims, averaging payouts between $14,030 and $15,589 with average water depths ranging from 4 to 11 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in coastal Zone V and high-risk riverine Zone A, while recognizing that properties in Zone X designations also face meaningful flood and water damage risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of New London County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,858 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 6 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 2012, with 678 claims and $20.5M paid, the year of Hurricane Sandy.
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.
46 NOAA storm reports from New London County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Connecticut flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And A Potential Dam Breach | Jan 10, 2024 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | Aug 4, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 25, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 26, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
146 since 1996: 81 flash floods, 45 river or area floods and 11 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2024. Strong low pressure shifted northeast through the eastern Great Lakes on January 13, 2024, sending a warm front through during the morning hours, followed quickly by a cold front. Strong winds produced by this system, combined with peaking high astronomical tides associated with a recent new moon, produced widespread moderate coastal flooding along the southern Connecticut coastline.
Flash Flood · Jan 10, 2024. A large low pressure system impacted the area late on January 9th and into the 10th with long duration persistent moderate to heavy rainfall. In addition to widespread river flooding, some localized areas of flash flooding occurred as the heaviest rainfall associated with convection moved through. Precipitable water values of 1.2-1.4 inches were record levels for early January. The anomalous moisture and heavy rai…
Coastal Flood · Jan 10, 2024. Strong low pressure moving northeast from the Mid Atlantic region to southern New England during the night of January 9, 2024 into the early morning hours of January 10, 2024 produced high winds, which combined with high astronomical tides associated with an upcoming new moon to produce moderate coastal flooding along the southeast Connecticut coastline.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2023. A stationary front near the area forced torrential thunderstorms in a tropical airmass resulting in widespread flash flooding in CT. The first round of thunderstorms occurred early in the morning on July 16th. Another round of thunderstorms occurred later in the afternoon. The tropical airmass had CAPE values 1500 - 2000 J/kg with PWATs 2.2-2.4 inches. The torrential thunderstorms produced rainfall rates as much a…
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 New London 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.