88 flood insurance claims·$1.8M paid·10 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 Franklin County, Maine. 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.
Franklin County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by standard river floods and flash floods, with 58 flood events, 52 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, and 4 tropical storm events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include ice jam flooding along various rivers on March 17, 2025, when rain and snowmelt runoff caused the Carrabassett River in Kingfield to overflow and flood properties. Additionally, heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl on July 10, 2024, brought 3 to 5 inches of rain over a 36-hour period following saturated ground conditions from previous storms.
National Flood Insurance Program claim data shows that properties in Zone A carry the heaviest risk burden, accounting for 59 claims with an average payout of $33,039 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN recorded 18 claims with an average payout of $3,637 and an average water depth of 3 inches, while Zone X properties logged 10 claims with an average payout of $25,248 and an average water depth of 2 inches. One claim was recorded in Zone X_SHADED with an average payout of $2,262 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Residents in Zone A and near rivers should pay the closest attention to flood risks given these historical claims and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Franklin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
60 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 7 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 2023, with 25 claims and $959,464 paid, the year of Severe Storm and Flooding and Hurricane Lee.
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.
81 NOAA storm reports from Franklin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
85 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Dec 17, 2023 |
| Hurricane Lee | Sep 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Jun 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Apr 30, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Dec 23, 2022 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Tropical Storm Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Jun 18, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
114 since 1996: 52 flash floods and 58 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 17, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2023 | $6.5M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Sep 19, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 17, 2025. The combination of rain and snowmelt runoff on March 17 was sufficient to produce ice jam flooding along various rivers in the Western Maine Mountains. Most of the ice remained within the streambanks, with the exception of the Carrabassett River. An ice jam on the Carrabassett River in Kingfield resulted in flooding of properties.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 2024. A cold front stalled over the region with an area of low-pressure riding along it, becoming a focal point for shower and thunderstorm development. The steering winds were under 5 miles per hour, allowing storms to stall. This resulted in localized flash flooding in Chesterville and China Maine with road washouts in each community.
Flood · Apr 12, 2024. A cold front brought widespread soaking rainfall to the area. This rainfall combined with significant snowpack loss and saturated grounds to produce minor to moderate river flooding, with isolated flash flooding across the mountains. Repeated rounds of rain compressed, warmed, and ripened the area snowpack in advance of the heavier rain on Friday the 12th. The combination of rain, strong winds, and high dew point…
Flash Flood · Apr 12, 2024. A cold front brought widespread soaking rainfall to the area. This rainfall combined with significant snowpack loss and saturated grounds to produce minor to moderate river flooding, with isolated flash flooding across the mountains. Repeated rounds of rain compressed, warmed, and ripened the area snowpack in advance of the heavier rain on Friday the 12th. The combination of rain, strong winds, and high dew point…
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 Franklin 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.