103 flood insurance claims·$1.7M 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 Davidson County, North Carolina. 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 from summer thunderstorms and tropical systems dominates the flood history of Davidson County, North Carolina. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 65 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 8 standard floods, 4 hurricanes, and 3 tropical storms. Recent notable events include widespread heavy rainfall and flash flooding from a weak pressure trough and anomalous moisture in July 2025, as well as feeder bands and 4 to 6 inches of rain from Tropical Depression Debby in August 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 61 claims with an average payout of $24,448 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X accounts for 35 claims with an average payout of $29,164 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Additionally, Zone X Unshaded accounts for 5 claims with an average payout of $5,403 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone V accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $4,426 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A) and moderate-to-low risk areas (Zone X) should pay close attention to these historical flood and claim patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Davidson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
68 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 6 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 18 claims and $239,746 paid, the year of 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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Davidson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Carolina flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 28, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Eta | Nov 12, 2020 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Sep 1, 2019 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Oct 10, 2018 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
80 since 1996: 65 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | $4,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | $750,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | $1.5M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2025. A weak trough of low pressure over the Ohio and Tennessee valley region was in place, along with very anomalous moisture over the Carolinas. Scattered showers and storms over the Appalachians become widespread as they moved into central North Carolina in the evening and overnight hours. Numerous wind and flash flooding reports were recorded over the region.
Flash Flood · Jan 9, 2024. A potent area of low pressure moved through the Gulf Coast states into the Southeast United States. Widespread gusty winds developed across North Carolina ahead of this low, and a line of showers and thunderstorms swept through North Carolina during the afternoon and evening hours. Widespread tree damage was associated with this event, both within the gradient winds ahead of the thunderstorms, and the convective l…
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2024. Tropical Depression Debby slowly made its way through Florida, off the South Carolina coast, then back inland through the western Piedmont of North Carolina during the evening hours of 8 August 2024. Ahead of the storm, numerous feeder bands brought periods of heavy rain to central North Carolina, resulting in widespread 4-6 inch rainfall amounts across the western Piedmont, with higher amounts to the east. In add…
Tropical Storm · Sep 30, 2022. Hurricane Ian made landfall along the South Carolina coast near Georgetown during the early afternoon hours of September 30, 2022. Widespread wind gusts over tropical storm force and heavy rainfall occurred across much of central North Carolina through the afternoon and evening hours. There were numerous reports of wind damage and power outages as a result of the storm.
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 Davidson 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.