2,666 flood insurance claims·$44.5M 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 York 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.
Coastal flooding and general flooding events dominate the historical flood record in York County, supported by dozens of coastal flood, standard flood, flash flood, and storm surge occurrences over the last 30 years, along with two flood-related deaths. Recent impacts are exemplified by storms in January and March 2024, which brought powerful low-pressure systems, gale-force winds, and the combination of heavy rain and high astronomical tides that produced extreme coastal flooding and flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records demonstrate that properties in high-risk coastal and riverine areas experience the most frequent and severe financial impacts. Zone A leads the county with 1168 claims averaging a payout of $28,926 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. Meanwhile, Zone V properties account for 201 claims with an average payout of $33,983 and an average water depth of 13 inches. Properties located in unshaded Zone X experienced 487 claims with an average recorded water depth of 20 inches and an average payout of $16,363.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists focusing on coastal properties, high-risk Zone A and Zone V locations, and properties outside mapped high-risk zones should pay close attention to these historical claim patterns and flood risks when evaluating vulnerability.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of York County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,897 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 14 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 498 claims and $21.3M 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.
95 NOAA storm reports from York County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maine flood stories →
42 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 11 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Apr 3, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 9, 2024 |
| Hurricane Lee | Sep 15, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Dec 23, 2022 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 30, 2021 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Mar 2, 2018 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Jan 26, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
129 since 1996: 19 flash floods, 27 river or area floods and 78 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | $30.0M |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Mar 10, 2024 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | $200,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | $15.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash 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 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…
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 York 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.