26 flood insurance claims·$334,327 paid·4 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 Gates 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 dominates the flood history of Gates County, North Carolina, accounting for 17 events and 1 death over the last 30 years out of 30 total recorded flood events, which also include tropical storms, general floods, and hurricanes.
Local flood risks are frequently driven by stationary fronts and scattered thunderstorms producing localized heavy rain, such as events recorded in July 2024 and June 2025. National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 17 claims with an average payout of $10,324 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X includes 8 claims with an average payout of $24,677 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone V contains 1 claim with an average payout of $2,704 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate professionals with properties in higher-risk or special flood hazard areas, particularly Zone A and Zone X, should pay the closest attention to these recurring flash flood and storm risks when evaluating property vulnerability and insurance needs.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 2016, with 16 claims and $213,666 paid, the year of Hurricane Matthew.
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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Gates County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Carolina flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1984, 4 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 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Sep 1, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 7, 2018 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Oct 4, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
30 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 8, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | $250,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 5, 2019 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Sep 21, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 16, 2025. A stationary front remained stalled in the vicinity of northeast North Carolina on June 16. Scattered, slow-moving showers and storms developed along the front in the afternoon and evening, producing localized heavy rain and flash flooding across northeast North Carolina.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of northeast North Carolina.
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of northeast North Carolina.
Tropical Storm · Jul 8, 2021. The center of Tropical Storm Elsa tracked north just inland of the Middle Atlantic Coast from Thursday morning through Thursday night, July 8th. The Tropical Storm produced tropical storm force winds and associated wind damage across portions of northeast North Carolina.
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 Gates 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.