92 flood insurance claims·$1.9M paid·11 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 Knox 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.
Over the last thirty years, river and general flooding events dominate the recorded hazards in Knox County, Maine, accompanied by frequent coastal flooding, flash floods, tropical systems, storm surges, and hurricanes. Historical NOAA records capture multiple severe coastal flooding events in January 2024, when rapidly deepening low-pressure systems combined with high astronomical tides, strong winds, and heavy precipitation to drive extreme coastal water levels and nearshore waves. A multifaceted storm also produced heavy rain and minor river flooding or standing water in March 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that risk extends across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A account for 32 claims with an average payout of $56,260 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Zone V properties recorded 25 claims with an average payout of $29,928 and an average water depth of 43 inches. Additionally, Zone X properties logged 20 claims with an average payout of $17,826 and an average water depth of 22 inches, while unknown zones accounted for 14 claims with an average payout of $4,713 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to coastal and riverine properties located within high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas, as well as properties in moderate-to-low risk zones that have experienced historical flooding and water accumulation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Knox County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
58 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 20 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 2024, with 26 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
44 NOAA storm reports from Knox County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 11 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 9, 2024 |
| Hurricane Lee | Sep 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Apr 30, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Dec 23, 2022 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 30, 2021 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 23, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 8 flash floods, 31 river or area floods and 16 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | $5.0M |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | $2.0M |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | $7.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 26, 2023 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 16, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2024. The second severe storm in a week���s time struck the northern New England coastline during the middle of January. An intense and rapidly deepening area of low pressure over the Great Lakes region (979 mb) combined the highest astronomical tides of the month to produce extreme flooding along the coast. Portland had its all-time storm tide, posting a record flood water level (records 1912-present). Storm for…
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…
Flood · Mar 10, 2024. A multifaceted storm brought strong winds and heavy rain to the coast, and heavy snow to the mountains on March 10th. A period of heavy rain between daybreak and noon caused excessive runoff and flash flooding in parts of Cumberland County where rainfall totals exceeded 3 inches. Elsewhere, the rain and snowmelt combination resulted in minor river flooding and nuisance overland standing water. Gale force easterl…
Coastal Flood · Jan 10, 2024. A powerful storm tracked northeast through the Mid Mississippi River Valley on the 9th, rapidly deepening as it approached the southern Great Lakes. Precipitation formed along and ahead of the advancing warm front, which arrived in part of northern New England during the evening of the 9th. High pressure anchored to the north of Maine dammed low level cold air up against the mountains and allowed precipitation to…
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 Knox 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.