568 flood insurance claims·$36.4M 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 Orange 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 severe weather events dominates the flood risk profile in Orange County, North Carolina. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 75 flash flood events, alongside 4 standard floods, 4 hurricanes, and 2 tropical storms. Flash flooding has resulted in 1 recorded death in the county.
A notable recent event occurred on July 6, 2025, when the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal tracked into central North Carolina and stalled. This system produced catastrophic flash flooding from record rainfall of up to 11 inches in parts of the Piedmont, resulting in 6 flash flood fatalities distributed across Chatham, Alamance, and Orange counties, alongside widespread flooding.
Properties located in FEMA flood zones should pay close attention to this risk, particularly in high-claim areas. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 421 claims, an average payout of $89,934, and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X accounts for 109 claims with an average payout of $58,526 and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 13 claims with an average payout of $23,986 and an average water depth of 14 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 18 claims with an average payout of $6,576 and an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone V recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $43,112 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Orange County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
457 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 10 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 2025, with 177 claims and $21.1M paid, the year of Tropical Depression Chantal.
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.
45 NOAA storm reports from Orange County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Carolina flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Tropical Depression Chantal | Jul 6, 2025 |
| 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 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Oct 10, 2018 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
85 since 1996: 75 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 29, 2025. Storms over South Carolina in association with a mid-level system tracked into central North Carolina in the afternoon and evening hours. The storms initially produced a wind damage and isolated hail threat. Thereafter, the event evolved into a flash flood threat, with training and back building storms resulting in 3 or more inches per hour rainfall rates from Albemarle to Greensboro to Burlington to Henderson.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2025. An upper-level disturbance moved across central North Carolina, triggering storms that produced damaging wind gusts and a few reports of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2025. Isolated to scattered showers and storms developed along the border with southeastern Virginia in the afternoon hours. The storms then propagated south and southwest during the evening hours. Several reports of flooding were observed, along with a few wind damage reports.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2025. A trough over the Ohio valley region produced a wave of scattered to numerous showers and storms during the afternoon through mid-evening hours across the eastern Piedmont, Sandhills, and Coastal Plain of central North Carolina. Isolated reports of flash flooding, downed trees and hail were reported.
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 Orange 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.