2,825 flood insurance claims·$50.3M paid·7 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 Anne Arundel County, Maryland. 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.
Flood risk in Anne Arundel County is driven primarily by inland flooding, flash flooding, and coastal flooding from severe weather and slow-moving summer thunderstorms. NOAA records from the last 30 years show 91 flood events, 86 flash flood events, 79 coastal flood events, 6 storm surge or tide events, and 4 tropical storm events.
Recent events illustrate this recurring pattern. In June 2025, slow-moving showers and thunderstorms along a weak frontal boundary produced two to four inches of rain over several hours. In July 2025, an anomalously moist airmass brought multiple rounds of heavy rainfall totaling one to four inches, resulting in widespread localized flooding and flash flooding.
NFIP claims data demonstrates that flood risk extends across multiple zones, with the highest volume concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 1,848 claims with an average payout of $28,847 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 510 claims with an average payout of $12,440 and an average recorded water depth of 29 inches. Zone X unshaded, Zone unknown, and Zone X shaded recorded 198, 114, and 99 claims respectively. Property owners in designated high-risk coastal and riverine zones, as well as those in moderate-to-low risk zones experiencing heavy interior rainfall, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Anne Arundel County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,201 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 11 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 2003, with 1,579 claims and $40.5M paid, the year of Snow and Hurricane Isabel.
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 Anne Arundel County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maryland flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 6, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
266 since 1996: 86 flash floods, 91 river or area floods and 85 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 30, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Aug 23, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | May 21, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 30, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a slow moving cold front and produced a quick one to locally three inches of rain in a short period of time.
Coastal Flood · Aug 23, 2025. A snap-back event in the wake of Hurricane Erin in late Aug 2025 caused widespread minor coastal flooding that lasted a couple of days. Moderate coastal flooding was experienced in several areas of Anne Arundel County including Annapolis.
Coastal Flood · May 21, 2025. The combination of strong high pressure to the north over Ontario, CA with low pressure passing to the south resulted in strong easterly winds on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
Coastal Flood · Oct 19, 2025. Strong southerly winds combined with high astronomical tides due to a New Moon resulted in moderate coastal flooding at Annapolis during multiple high tide cycles.
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 Anne Arundel 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.