Enter any address in Surry County, North Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the most frequent type of flood event in Surry County, NC, with 62 such events recorded in the last 30 years. Other flood events, including general floods and one tropical storm, have also occurred. Recent examples include flash flooding on August 21, 2025, caused by slow-moving thunderstorms with rainfall rates up to 5 inches per hour, and general flooding on January 9, 2024, associated with a strong southerly wind flow carrying deep moisture.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced 26 claims with an average payout of $13,385 and an average water depth of 2.7 feet. Properties in Zone X_SHADED have had fewer claims (5), but with a higher average payout of $43,708 and an average water depth of 2.2 feet. Properties in Zone UNKNOWN also show a high average payout of $20,806.
Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents should pay particular attention to flood risk in Surry County, especially those in Zone A and Zone X_SHADED, as well as areas designated as Zone UNKNOWN, due to the potential for significant damage and payouts.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
57 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Surry County, North Carolina has recorded 99 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 62 flash floods and 36 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 1 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1977–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 28, 2022 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Hurricane | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane | Sep 1, 2019 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Hurricane | Oct 10, 2018 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2023 | 15.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 9, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2021 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2021 | 6.00K |
Flash Flood — Aug 21, 2025
A cluster of slow-moving thunderstorms passed across eastern Surry County and western Stokes County during the evening of August 21st. Rainfall rates within some of the stronger storms were observed to be as high as 5 inches per hour. The FLASH 3-hour ARI in the Town of King was observed to be as high as a 20-year event at 11 pm EDT, while the 3-hour QPE/FFG ratio was observed reaching 105.
Flood — Jan 9, 2024
A deep, negatively tilted upper level trough and associated occluded front passed from the central Mississippi River Valley on January 9th toward the lower New England region by the morning of the 10th. Strong southerly wind flow ahead of the upper trough carried deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward into the Carolinas and the lower Mid-Atlantic. Precipitable water values ranged from ...
Flash Flood — Jan 9, 2024
A deep, negatively tilted upper level trough and associated occluded front passed from the central Mississippi River Valley on January 9th toward the lower New England region by the morning of the 10th. Strong southerly wind flow ahead of the upper trough carried deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward into the Carolinas and the lower Mid-Atlantic. Precipitable water values ranged from ...
Flash Flood — Aug 28, 2023
A series of training thunderstorms produced extremely high rainfall across portions of Patrick and Carroll Counties in Virginia during the predawn hours of August 28th. This resulted in areas of flash flooding, mainly in the headwaters of the Smith River and the Ararat River, with extensive river flooding observed in Mount Airy, NC. ||The event began with a stationary front draped near the bord...
Flash Flood — Sep 9, 2023
An upper trough situated from the Great Lakes through the Tennessee Valley provided the instability to support very slow-moving showers and thunderstorms that drifted across the central Appalachians into the lower Mid-Atlantic. During the afternoon of the 9th, a surface trough had developed from Surry County, NC northward through Montgomery County, VA into southeast West Virginia, providing the...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Surry County, North Carolina:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Surry County, North Carolina that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.