77 flood insurance claims·$1.4M paid·5 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 Caroline 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.
Flash flooding and inland flooding from heavy rainfall dominate Caroline County's flood history, complemented by significant tidal and coastal flood events driven by Chesapeake Bay water pushes. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 19 flash flood events alongside coastal floods and tropical systems. For example, Tropical Storm Isaias brought heavy rain, high winds, and coastal flooding on August 4, 2020. Additionally, low pressure systems pushed water up the Chesapeake Bay to cause moderate tidal flooding on October 29, 2021, and October 30, 2025.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in FEMA Flood Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of historical claims in the county with 56 total claims averaging $28,829 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Properties in unshaded Zone X also warrant careful attention, having recorded an average water depth of 17 inches across 8 claims with an average payout of $25,301.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
14% of Caroline County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
65 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 2011, with 25 claims and $786,491 paid, the year of Hurricane Irene.
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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Caroline County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maryland flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 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 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 22, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 19 flash floods, 8 river or area floods and 9 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Oct 30, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 29, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 29, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Oct 30, 2025. An area of low pressure moving through Maryland resulted in southerly flow and a push of water up the Chesapeake Bay. This resulted in some moderate tidal flooding around the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Coastal Flood · Jan 10, 2024. A strong system affected the region with steady southerly flow pushing water up into coastal communities both along the ocean and within the Delaware River/Bay and Chesapeake Bay. Water levels on the tidal Delaware River were higher due to 2 to 4+ inches of rainfall.
Coastal Flood · Oct 29, 2021. Strong high pressure located in eastern Canada and slow moving low pressure approaching from the southeastern states resulted in a prolonged onshore flow along the Middle Atlantic coast. Moderate tidal flooding occurred along the upper eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay on the night of October 29.
Tropical Storm · Aug 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias brought high winds, heavy rain, several tornadoes, and coastal flooding to the mid-Atlantic region, becoming the most impactful tropical cyclone to impact most of the region since Sandy in 2012.
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 Caroline 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.