619 flood insurance claims·$8.8M paid·10 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 Berkeley County, South 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the historical flood events in Berkeley County, South Carolina, supplemented by tropical systems, general floods, and storm surges. NOAA storm records document multiple events in recent years, including heavy rainfall from slow-moving cold fronts on August 22, 2025, and strong thunderstorms driven by a weak warm front on August 1, 2025. Tropical systems have also impacted the area, such as Tropical Storm Helene, which moved inland after making landfall as a category 4 hurricane in Florida on September 26, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in Zone A with 435 claims averaging a $21,145 payout and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X recorded 146 claims with an average payout of $19,655 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED logged 18 claims with an average payout of $8,919 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 9 claims averaging a $7,821 payout and an average water depth of 8 inches, and Zone UNKNOWN recorded 8 claims averaging a $1,064 payout with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners in high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay the most attention to flood risk, given the significant history of both flash flooding and insured losses.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Berkeley County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
465 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 8 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 2015, with 179 claims and $2.5M 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.
48 NOAA storm reports from Berkeley County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Carolina flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 29, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 25, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 12, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Aug 31, 2019 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
116 since 1996: 73 flash floods, 6 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1.5M |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $465,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2025. A slow moving cold front encountering an environment displaying deep moisture and moderate instability supported thunderstorms capable of heavy rainfall across Southeast South Carolina.
Flood · Aug 1, 2025. A weak warm front passing across the area encountered deep moisture and warm temperatures, favoring strong thunderstorms across Southeast South Carolina.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Helene first developed into a tropical storm in the northwest Caribbean Sea in the late morning of September 24, and strengthened into a hurricane near the Yucatan peninsula about 24 hours later. Helene continued to strengthen and became a major hurricane as it moved to the north-northeast across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida in the late evening hours of Septemb…
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. Debby first developed into a tropical storm about 100 miles west-southwest of Key West, Florida late afternoon on August 3rd, then gradually strengthened to a strong tropical storm while tracking north across the eastern Gulf of Mexico on August 4th. Debby then reached hurricane force strength late on August 4th about 100 miles west-northwest of Tampa, before continuing a north-northeast track across the eastern G…
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 Berkeley 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.