138 flood insurance claims·$2.0M 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 Somerset 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 and general floods from storms dominate the flood history in Somerset County, Maine, accounting for 123 events over the last 30 years alongside 35 flash flood events and 3 tropical storms. Recent recorded incidents include severe weather in July 2025 involving low pressure systems and unstable air that produced flash flooding. Additionally, a cold front in April 2024 brought widespread soaking rainfall combined with snowpack loss and saturated grounds, resulting in minor to moderate river flooding and isolated mountain flash floods.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate claims across multiple zones, with Zone UNKNOWN accounting for 61 claims averaging a $10,554 payout and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone A properties experienced 54 claims with an average payout of $33,902 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone X saw 20 claims with an average payout of $25,071 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $7,524 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Properties located in mapped high-risk riverine areas (Zone A) and unmapped or unstudied locations (Zone UNKNOWN) should pay the most attention, given the frequency of claims and high average payout amounts associated with these designations.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Somerset County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
57 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 8 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 44 claims and $617,724 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.
57 NOAA storm reports from Somerset County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
172 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 | Dec 23, 2022 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Jun 18, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 28, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 15, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
161 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 123 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Sep 19, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $230,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $5.0M |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $350,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2025. Low pressure tracking across southern Quebec Province lifted a warm front across northern Maine during the 17th...with a cold front then approaching late. A very unstable environment and favorable shear supported supercell thunderstorm development across northern Maine during the afternoon. Thunderstorms then persisted into the evening. Wind gusts up to 50 to 55 mph accompanied the stronger thunderstorms. In the A…
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…
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2023. During the afternoon of June 29th, showers and thunderstorms developed across the western Maine Mountains and foothills. While most of these storms moved from southwest to northeast, a few remained stalled over the same location for multiple hours leading to radar estimated rainfall of over 3.5���. With some very localized areas approaching estimated rainfall of up to 5���. Over 2��� of this r…
Flood · Sep 19, 2023. The region had a glancing blow from Hurricane Lee which passed into the Canadian Maritime on the 16th, bringing strong winds but limited rainfall to the local area. The more notable rainfall came a few days later when a low pressure system moved from Cape Cod into coastal Maine on the 18th into the 19th. This storm system brought a soaking rain of 1 to 3 inches to the region, with highest amounts near the coast. T…
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 Somerset 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.