5,690 flood insurance claims·$69.0M paid·16 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 Brevard County, Florida. 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.
Tropical storms and flash floods dominate the documented flood character of Brevard County, accounting for 45 combined events over the last 30 years alongside 12 general flood events, 6 hurricanes, 4 storm surge or tide events, and 1 tropical depression. Recent history underscores this hazard profile, including an October 2025 event where stationary thunderstorms produced extreme rainfall across the county, and another in October 2025 that caused road closures in Palm Bay alongside shoreline damage from high astronomical tides and coastal flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims distributed across multiple zones, with moderate to severe water depths recorded. Zone X accounts for 3,238 claims averaging a $22,920 payout with an average recorded water depth of 7 inches, while Zone A includes 2,112 claims averaging a $25,627 payout with an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone V represents the highest payout severity with 103 claims averaging $52,604 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches.
Property owners in coastal locations facing storm surge and high tides, as well as those in moderate-to-low risk zones experiencing flash flooding from heavy rainfall, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Brevard County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,434 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 2008, with 1,362 claims and $19.3M paid, the year of Tropical Storm Fay.
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.
48 NOAA storm reports from Brevard County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Florida flood stories →
45 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 16 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Milton | Oct 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 23, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
68 since 1996: 21 flash floods, 12 river or area floods and 4 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2025 | $1.9M |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2025 | $3.1M |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2025 | $5.3M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jul 15, 2025 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 10, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Oct 26, 2025. Stationary thunderstorms produced extreme rainfall in Brevard and Lake Counties, as well as a severe wind gust along the coast.
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2025. Locally heavy rainfall produced significant roadway flooding and led to a roof collapse of a community center in Melbourne.
Flood · Jul 15, 2025. Localized heavy rainfall of 4 to 6 inches led to floodwaters entering homes in Mims.
Flash Flood · Oct 10, 2025. Locally heavy rainfall entered several homes in Volusia County, causing minor damage, and led to road closures in Palm Bay in Brevard County, while high astronomical tides and coastal flooding led to damage at the shoreline.
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 Brevard 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.