62 flood insurance claims·$1.3M paid·10 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 Sullivan 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.
Over the past 30 years, Sullivan County has experienced flood risks dominated by standard riverine floods and flash flooding, with NOAA records showing 34 flood events, 2 deaths, 24 flash floods, and 1 tropical storm. Flash flood events are frequently driven by slow-moving low pressure systems and stationary bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms, such as the event recorded in June 2023 that dropped 1 to 2.5 inches of rain widely across the region, with localized totals of 3 or more inches.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that high-risk Zone A properties have sustained the heavy majority of impacts, totaling 47 claims with an average payout of $34,224 and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. Moderate- and lower-risk zones also experience losses; Zone X accounts for 9 claims averaging $11,367 with an average water depth of 11 inches, Shaded Zone X accounts for 2 claims averaging $16,213 with an average water depth of 31 inches, unshaded Zone X records 3 claims averaging $651 with an average water depth of 4 inches, and 1 claim of unknown zoning averaged $406 with 0 inches of recorded water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within high-risk Zone A, where the vast majority of historical claims and higher payout amounts are concentrated.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Sullivan County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
52 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 16 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 2023, with 13 claims and $309,588 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.
37 NOAA storm reports from Sullivan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Hampshire flood stories →
33 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Apr 3, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 9, 2023 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Jul 29, 2021 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storm | Oct 29, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 24 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 17, 2023. A slow moving area of low pressure was centered over Southern Vermont on the morning of the 17th. Around mid-morning a band of heavy rain showers with embedded thunderstorms developed from Lebanon to Jaffrey. The band pivoted over the same region bringing nearly continuous moderate to periods of heavy rainfall through mid-afternoon. Most areas received 1 to 2.5 inches of rain across southwest New Hampshire, but th…
Flood · Jul 11, 2023. Saturday, July 8th through Monday, July 10th was an active weather period with numerous rounds of heavy rainfall moving across the state. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of Saturday, July 8th with scattered thunderstorms from the White Mountains down through the Monadnocks. Storms came to an end during the evening hours. Localized 3-hr rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 3���, but no flooding was…
Flood · Jul 10, 2023. Saturday, July 8th through Monday, July 10th was an active weather period with numerous rounds of heavy rainfall moving across the state. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of Saturday, July 8th with scattered thunderstorms from the White Mountains down through the Monadnocks. Storms came to an end during the evening hours. Localized 3-hr rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 3���, but no flooding was…
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2023. Saturday, July 8th through Monday, July 10th was an active weather period with numerous rounds of heavy rainfall moving across the state. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of Saturday, July 8th with scattered thunderstorms from the White Mountains down through the Monadnocks. Storms came to an end during the evening hours. Localized 3-hr rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 3���, but no flooding was…
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 Sullivan 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.