4 flood insurance claims·$0 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 Warren 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 heavy rain events dominates the flood risk profile in Warren County, North Carolina. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 25 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, alongside 5 hurricane events and 2 tropical storm events.
Recent historical events illustrate this hazard. In September 2021, a cluster of slow-moving showers and storms produced heavy rain and multiple reports of flash flooding across the county. In November 2020, moisture from Tropical Storm Eta combined with a slow-moving cold front to produce widespread rainfall totals generally ranging from 4 to 6 inches, with localized totals near Rocky Mount approaching 10 inches. Additionally, the passage of Hurricane Isaias in August 2020 brought 2 to 5 inches of rain and gusty winds up to 50 to 60 miles per hour, resulting in flash flooding and minor river flooding.
Historical National Flood Insurance Program records show limited claims activity, consisting of 3 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and 1 claim in Zone X with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners and real estate professionals should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A flood hazard areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
The worst year was 1996, with 1 claims and $0 paid, the year of Hurricane Fran.
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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Warren County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Carolina flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 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.
32 since 1996: 25 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2020 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Nov 12, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2020 | $10,000 · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 8, 2021. A cluster of showers and storms producing heavy rain develop across Warren County in central North Carolina along a slow moving mid level disturbance in advance of a slow moving cold front. The heavy rain produced a couple of reports fo flash flooding across Warren County.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2020. Warm moist air lifted along a wavy stationary front. This combined with slow moving and merging thunderstorms resulted in heavy rain and flash flooding, including a dam break in Johnston County and two fatalities.
Flash Flood · Nov 12, 2020. Moisture from Tropical Storm Eta was drawn northward into the Mid Atlantic during the day of Wednesday November 11th. Meanwhile, a slow moving cold front approached the area and made its way through central North Carolina during the day Thursday, resulting in widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms. Rainfall totals were generally in the 4 to 6 inches range, although some spots near Rocky Mount saw close to 1…
Tropical Storm · Aug 4, 2020. Hurricane Isaias made landfall in southeast North Carolina, then moved north through coastal North Carolina. Significant rain fell across the Coastal Plain, Sandhills and eastern Piedmont of North Carolina as Isaias moved northward through the state along with gusty winds up to 50 to 60 miles per hour. Isaias produced two to five inches of rain across much of eastern NC, resulting in flash flooding, as well as min…
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 Warren 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.