830 flood insurance claims·$4.9M 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 Bristol County, Rhode Island. 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.
General flooding from heavy rain systems and coastal conditions dominates the flood risk profile in Bristol County, Rhode Island, supported by 14 standard flood events, 8 flash flood events, and 7 coastal flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database. Recent events illustrate this variety, including a January 2024 low-pressure system that brought 2 to 5 inches of rain combined with melting snow to cause widespread river flooding, and a July 2023 amplified trough that produced torrential downpours, road closures, and stranded vehicles.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records show that flood claims span multiple zones with varying impacts. Zone A recorded 531 claims with an average water depth of 7 inches and an average payout of $9,612, while Zone V recorded 61 claims with an average water depth of 5 inches and an average payout of $13,121. Zone X recorded 180 claims with an average water depth of 6 inches and an average payout of $6,716, Shaded Zone X recorded 34 claims averaging 4 inches of water depth and an $8,324 payout, and Unshaded Zone X recorded 21 claims averaging 2 inches of water depth and a $1,607 payout.
Homeowners and real estate agents in coastal areas, properties in high-risk Zones A and V, and those in moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay the closest attention to these localized flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Bristol County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
647 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 6 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 2010, with 308 claims and $1.6M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Bristol County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Rhode Island flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 28, 2022 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 20, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 26, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Tropical Storm Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 8 flash floods, 14 river or area floods and 8 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2021 | $200,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | $1,300 |
| Flood | Jul 15, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 25, 2025. A trough of low pressure brough some widely scattered heavy showers to RI and southeast MA which caused some localized flash flooding problems in MA and RI.
Flash Flood · Jan 10, 2024. A negatively tilted mid level trough swung through New England while at the surface a low pressure center passed directly over southern New England. This inland runner brought warm air so that all precipitation fell as rain, along with strong winds. There was a good deal of tree damage from the winds and widespread river flooding with many rivers going into major flood stage. Much of Rhode Island received 2 to 5 i…
Flood · Aug 18, 2023. A high amplitude, negatively tilted trough moving across the Great Lakes and into New England along with cold and warm front provided strong forcing which resulted in flooding, wind damage, and 5 tornadoes. In the warm sector dewpoints surged into the mid 70s with PWATs near 2 inches which led to torrential downpours. Tornadoes occurred in Scotland, Ct, Scituate, RI, North Attleboro, MA, Stoughton, MA, and Weymout…
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2023. An anomalously amplified mid level trough moving east from the Great Lakes closed off and brought widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms which lead to flooding in Rhode Island. Many roads were closed and cars were stuck in flood waters.
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 Bristol 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.