73 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·9 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 Waldo 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 and inland flooding dominates the flood history of Waldo County, accounting for 52 of the 80 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 15 coastal flood events, 5 tropical storms, 5 flash floods, 2 storm surge or tide events, and 1 hurricane. Heavy precipitation and snowmelt drive these conditions, as demonstrated by the widespread soaking rainfall and snowpack loss that produced minor to moderate river flooding on April 12, 2024, and the broad low pressure system that brought heavy rainfall and seasonal spring flooding from April 30 to May 1, 2023. Coastal storms also impact the area, such as the multifaceted storm on March 10, 2024, and the intense low pressure and high astronomical tides on January 13, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in Zone A experienced 38 claims averaging $27,332 with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, while Zone X properties recorded 15 claims averaging $62,889 with an average water depth of 37 inches. Zone V properties saw 3 claims averaging $84,415 with an average water depth of 2 inches, Zone X unshaded recorded 3 claims averaging $6,117 with an average water depth of 1 inch, and unknown zones logged 14 claims averaging $3,198 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X, where claims and recorded water depths are most significant.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Waldo County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
44 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 2024, with 11 claims and $617,348 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.
54 NOAA storm reports from Waldo County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 9, 2024 |
| 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 30, 2021 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Jun 18, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
80 since 1996: 5 flash floods, 52 river or area floods and 17 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | $1.0M |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Mar 10, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 16, 2023 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Oct 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 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…
Coastal 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…
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 Waldo 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.