441 flood insurance claims·$7.4M 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 Kennebec 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.
River flooding driven by heavy rainfall and snowmelt dominates the flood risk profile in Kennebec County, Maine, accounting for 96 of the 111 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 14 flash floods and 1 tropical storm. Recent historically significant events include widespread soaking rainfall and snowpack loss in April 2024 that produced minor to moderate river flooding, as well as low pressure systems that brought heavy rainfall and scattered showers causing flash flooding in August 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that high-risk Zone A properties have experienced the heaviest burden with 303 total claims averaging $24,657 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties categorized as Zone UNKNOWN also show significant vulnerability with 99 claims averaging $15,070 and an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X properties recorded an average water depth of 20 inches across 17 claims.
Homeowners in Zone A, Zone UNKNOWN, and low-lying areas near rivers should pay the closest attention to local flood advisories, as historical claims and event patterns demonstrate consistent vulnerability to both seasonal river overflow and rapid precipitation-driven flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Kennebec County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
325 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 9 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 1987, with 127 claims and $3.6M paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding.
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.
38 NOAA storm reports from Kennebec County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 8 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 | Apr 30, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 15, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, And Ice Jams | Mar 29, 2005 |
| Record And/or Near Record Snow | Feb 10, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
111 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 96 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 13, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $200,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $250,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | $581,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 24, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 13, 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…
Flood · Dec 18, 2023. Low pressure began organizing in the Gulf of Mexico on the 16th, setting record low sea level pressures as it traversed the Southeast through the 17th. Strong high pressure over the North Atlantic created a deep southeasterly flow that drew warm air into New England ahead of the approaching storm. By the time precipitation arrived on the evening of the 17th, temperatures were warm enough for rain everywhere except…
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2023. An area of low pressure moved northeast from Massachusetts into Maine and New Hampshire on the morning of the 8th. The rainfall intensity increased during peak heating, with the heaviest rainfall from Nashua New Hampshire to Waterville Maine. Rainfall reports were highest across Cumberland and Androscoggin Counties in southern interior Maine ranging between 3 and 5 inches. After a break in the heavy rainfall, anot…
Flood · May 1, 2023. A broad area of low pressure across the Great Lakes region stalled out well to the west of the region early on Sunday, April 30th. A secondary area of low pressure developed and moved up the Eastern Seaboard and tracked across interior New England from Sunday, April 30th through Monday, May 1st. Widespread heavy rainfall occurred, and flooding was enhanced for this weather event due to the seasonal timing of the…
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 Kennebec 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.