361 flood insurance claims·$6.4M 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 Charles 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.
Charles County experiences flood hazards primarily driven by general floods and flash floods from severe weather. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 45 flood events, 39 flash flood events, 6 coastal flood events, 4 tropical storm events, and 2 storm surge or tide events.
Recent occurrences underscore this threat, including a June 2025 event where slow-moving showers and thunderstorms driven by an upper-level shortwave trough and quasi-stationary boundary dropped a general two to four inches of rain, causing localized flash flooding across the area.
Property owners and real estate professionals should evaluate risk based on FEMA claim distributions. Zone A holds the highest number of claims at 167, with an average payout of $35,436 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 120 claims with an average payout of $10,959 and an average water depth of 33 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 34 claims with an average payout of $25,263 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 23 claims with an average payout of $9,987 and an average water depth of 3 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 15 claims with an average payout of $29,611 and an average water depth of 0 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Charles County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
218 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 13 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 90 claims and $3.5M 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Charles County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Maryland flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 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 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
96 since 1996: 39 flash floods, 45 river or area floods and 8 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Aug 27, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Aug 15, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Aug 14, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2025. Slow moving showers and thunderstorms caused localized flooding across portions of Maryland during the afternoon and evening of June 15, 2025. These showers and thunderstorms were in association with a vigorous upper level shortwave trough and quasi-stationary boundary meandering over the area. A general two to four inches of rain fell across areas where flooding occurred.
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.
Flood · Aug 10, 2022. A weak boundary remained overhead while anomalous amounts of moisture remained in place along with moderate instability. Thunderstorms caused heavy rainfall, and with a slow storm motion this led to instances of flooding and flash flooding.
Flood · Aug 27, 2021. Showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of a pressure trough, with several instances of flooding, primarily west of the Blue Ridge.
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 Charles 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.