137 flood insurance claims·$2.3M 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 Strafford 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.
River flooding and flash flooding dominate the flood risk profile in Strafford County, with standard floods and flash floods accounting for the majority of recorded events over the last 30 years, alongside lesser impacts from tropical and coastal storms. Recent severe flooding is documented in NOAA storm events, including a powerful storm system in December 2022 that brought high-pressure gradients and strong southerly winds, as well as heavy rainfall rates peaking at 3 to 4 inches per hour during a flash flood event on July 29, 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located in high-risk Zone A face the highest frequency of damage, recording 68 claims with an average payout of $25,648 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. However, properties in moderate-to-low risk zones also experience impacts; Zone X unshaded properties recorded 15 claims with an average payout of $31,454 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while standard Zone X properties recorded 41 claims with an average payout of $13,646 and an average water depth of 11 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in Zone A and Zone X, where both payout values and recorded water depths demonstrate significant financial and structural risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Strafford County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
86 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 9 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 2006, with 39 claims and $702,340 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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Strafford County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Hampshire flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 26, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storm | Oct 29, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 23, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 11 flash floods, 14 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 21, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 21, 2016 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2011 | $150,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 23, 2022. Beginning on December 22nd a powerful storm was developing over the Ohio River Valley. On December 23rd the center of the storm was deepening rapidly (974mb) as it lifted through the eastern Great Lakes. While the center tracked into southern Ontario, high pressure retreated into the Canadian Maritimes creating a strong pressure gradient across the region. Strong southerly winds developed as a result, with speeds…
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2021. A developing area of lower pressure crossed the state on the night of July 29th. Abundant moisture moved into the region ahead of this area of low pressure. Rain began by late afternoon on July 29th across the Connecticut River Valley. Rain continued to quickly spread east through the late afternoon hours across all of Central and Southern New Hampshire. Moderate rain was steady with embedded areas of heavy ra…
Tropical Storm · Aug 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias was the first tropical storm to impact New Hampshire since 2011. The center of the storm tracked west of the state, keeping the flooding rain associated with the storm across New York. The primary impacts the storm brought to New Hampshire were gusty winds with widespread reports of wind gusts in the mid to upper 40s. Numerous trees and branches were brought down with scattered power outag…
Flash Flood · Oct 21, 2016. A tropical airmass moving north ahead of an approaching cold front produced very heavy rainfall in just a two hour period across southern New Hampshire. Three to five inches of rain resulted in flash flooding in major urban centers including Manchester and Nashua. Water up to the hoods of cars was common and people had to be rescued from their vehicles.
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 Strafford 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.