138 flood insurance claims·$1.2M 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 Carroll 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 river flooding from severe summer storms dominate Carroll County, driven by 80 flood events, 69 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, and 1 tropical storm over the last 30 years. Recent events illustrate this pattern: on July 9, 2025, an anomalously moist airmass produced instantaneous rain rates approaching five to six inches an hour with storm totals of one and a half to four inches, causing widespread flooding. Subsequently, on July 31, 2025, slow-moving thunderstorms driven by a cold front and tropical moisture dropped average rainfall of two to four inches, with localized amounts up to six inches, resulting in numerous instances of flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties in high-risk Zone A, which accounts for the highest volume of claims at 83, with an average payout of $14,096 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Properties in moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas also warrant attention, having recorded 23 claims with an average payout of $12,380 and a significantly higher average recorded water depth of 42 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Carroll County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
105 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 12 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 1996, with 37 claims and $335,185 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.
49 NOAA storm reports from Carroll County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maryland flood stories →
19 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 |
| Snowstorm | Feb 12, 2014 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
150 since 1996: 69 flash floods and 80 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Sep 16, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A slow moving cold front combined with a highly unstable atmosphere along with tropical moisture to produce slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. Some of these storms trained over the same areas, resulting in scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding. Total rainfall amounts in areas with flash flooding averaged two to four inches, though some localized amounts up to six inches were observed.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2025. An anomalously moist airmass ahead of a frontal boundary sparked numerous showers and thunderstorms across Maryland. Instantaneous rain rates approached five to six inches an hour in the bigger storms. Storm total rainfall of one and a half to four inches resulted in flooding and flash flooding in areas throughout the evening of July 9th.
Flood · Jan 9, 2024. An area of low pressure tracked through the Ohio River Valley and up through the Great Lakes Region. A strong low level jet enhanced moisture flow into the low pressure system leading to an extended period of moderate rain that caused widespread minor flooding with isolated moderate flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. The remnants of Debby tracked through the area Thursday night into Friday, August 8th into August 9th. Tropical moisture combined with lift from the remnants to cause heavy rain across much of Virginia. The heavy rain led to several instances of flash flooding and flooding.
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 Carroll 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.