157 flood insurance claims·$2.7M paid·6 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 Washington 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.
Washington County experiences flood risks dominated by tropical storms and hurricanes, which account for the majority of severe weather events over the last 30 years alongside flash floods, standard floods, and storm surges. Recent historic impacts include Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 and Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020, both bringing significant tropical weather to the region. Tropical Storm Ian followed in September 2022, producing elevated water levels, heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, tropical storm-force winds, and a tornado.
NFIP claims data demonstrates that flood risks extend across multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in Zone A, which recorded 126 claims with an average water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $17,757. Properties located outside of primary high-risk areas also experience significant impacts; Zone X recorded 24 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $38,597, while Shaded Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $64,474. Unshaded Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $7,312. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay close attention to properties across all mapped zones, as moderate- and low-risk areas frequently sustain substantial financial losses during major tropical events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Washington County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
133 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 3 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 52 claims and $742,629 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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Washington County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Carolina flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 6 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.
35 since 1996: 7 flash floods, 2 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 6, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2019 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 13, 2018 | $14,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 11, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 8, 2016 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jun 6, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 30, 2022. Ian initially made landfall on the west coast of Florida as a major category 4 hurricane, and then crossed into the Atlantic and moved northward, making a second landfall on the South Carolina coast near Georgetown as a category 1 hurricane. For Eastern NC, tropical storm force winds, elevated water levels, heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, and a tornado were associated with Ian. Strong high pressure over New Engla…
Tropical Storm · Aug 4, 2020. Hurricane Isaias originated from a vigorous tropical wave off the coast of Africa that was first identified by the National Hurricane Center on July 23, 2020. The tropical wave gradually became more organized, and became Tropical Storm Isaias on July 30. Isaias marked the earliest ninth named storm on record, surpassing 2005's Hurricane Irene by eight days. Isaias strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane the next…
Tropical Storm · Sep 6, 2019. Hurricane Dorian was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Dorian formed on August 24, 2019 from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic and gradually strengthened as it moved toward the Lesser Antilles, becoming a hurricane on August 28. Rapid intensification occurred, and on August 31, Dorian became a Category 4 hurricane. On September 1, Doria…
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2019. Hurricane Dorian was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Dorian formed on August 24, 2019 from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic and gradually strengthened as it moved toward the Lesser Antilles, becoming a hurricane on August 28. Rapid intensification occurred, and on August 31, Dorian became a Category 4 hurricane. On September 1, Doria…
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 Washington 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.