149 flood insurance claims·$3.6M paid·12 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 Lincoln 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.
Lincoln County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by general riverine and inland flooding alongside significant coastal flood hazards, with 20 flood events and 13 coastal flood events recorded over the past 30 years, complemented by flash floods, tropical storms, storm surges, and hurricanes. Recent impacts are demonstrated by severe coastal flooding driven by high astronomical tides and intense low-pressure systems in January 2024, as well as widespread heavy rainfall causing flooding in May 2023 due to high spring soil moisture and dormant vegetation.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in high-risk coastal and riverine areas face the most substantial financial and physical impacts. Zone A properties account for the highest claim volume with 65 claims averaging $33,331 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. However, properties in Zone V experience the deepest average flooding at 37 inches with 26 claims averaging $46,371, while Zone X properties recorded 28 claims with an average payout of $56,348 and an average water depth of 23 inches. Consequently, coastal property owners, residents near water bodies, and those in designated Special Flood Hazard Zones should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Lincoln County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
97 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 19 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 58 claims and $2.4M 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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Lincoln County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 12 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 | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Tropical Storm Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 23, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Jun 18, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 11, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 5 flash floods, 20 river or area floods and 16 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | $5.0M |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | $5.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | $476,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2023 | $90,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | $3.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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.
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…
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…
Tropical Storm · Sep 16, 2023. Hurricane Lee was a category 1 hurricane as it traveled north through the eastern Gulf of Maine early on Saturday, September 16th, before it was reclassified as Post-Tropical Cyclone Lee during the morning hours. The storm center eventually made landfall near Long Island, Nova Scotia on the evening of September 16th and then again in New Brunswick later on Saturday night. Lee brought numerous wind gusts of 35 to 5…
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 Lincoln 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.