290 flood insurance claims·$2.8M paid·9 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, New Hampshire. 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.
Carroll County experiences a dominant mix of river flooding and flash flooding, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 81 flood events and 38 flash flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 4 tropical storm events resulting in 1 death.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. In April 2024, a cold front combined with significant snowpack loss, saturated grounds, and up to 4 inches of water from rapid melt to produce minor to moderate river flooding and isolated mountain flash flooding. In August 2024, a frontal system dropped 2 to 3 inches of heavy rainfall near Lake Winnipesaukee, causing localized flash flooding. Another significant flooding event occurred in May 2023 due to heavy rainfall falling on high-moisture spring soils with dormant vegetation.
Property owners in Zone A should pay the most attention, as this zone accounts for the highest number of National Flood Insurance Program claims with 171 filed, averaging $15,609 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Properties in Zone X also warrant close attention, having recorded 36 claims with an average payout of $16,011 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches, while Zone X unshaded properties averaged $18,118 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 6 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Carroll County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
205 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 7 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 1998, with 44 claims and $290,431 paid, the year of Severe Ice Storm, Rains and High Winds and 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.
59 NOAA storm reports from Carroll County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Hampshire flood stories →
35 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 3, 2024 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Dec 17, 2023 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 9, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Dec 22, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 13, 2018 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
123 since 1996: 38 flash floods and 81 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $70,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $380,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2024. A frontal system brought rounds of showers and thunderstorms on the evening of the 19th. Heavy rainfall of 2-3��� fell near Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, resulting in localized flash flooding.
Flash 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 points…
Flash Flood · Jun 28, 2023. Two rounds of rain moved across the state on June 28th with a weak frontal boundary. Light rain showers pushed through the state during the morning, with the first line of showers and thunderstorms moving into western New Hampshire by midday. This line slowly moved eastward through the early afternoon hours bringing a widespread band of heavy rain of 1 to 2���. As the axis of heavy rain moved into the Lakes…
Flash Flood · Dec 18, 2023. Low pressure began organizing in the Gulf of Mexico on the 16th, setting record low sea level pressures as it traversed the Southeast through the 17th. Strong high pressure over the North Atlantic created a deep southeasterly flow that drew warm air into New England ahead of the approaching storm. By the time precipitation arrived on the evening of the 17th, temperatures were warm enough for rain everywhere except…
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.