13 flood insurance claims·$166,444 paid·8 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 Chesterfield 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 and tropical systems dominates the flood character of Chesterfield County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 38 flash flood events, alongside 12 tropical storm events that resulted in one death, and 1 general flood event.
Recent impacts include heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024, which caused areas of flash flooding, and strong thunderstorms in May 2020 over saturated ground that caused small streams to overflow and flood roadways and bridges. Tropical Storm Helene also produced significant regional impacts in September 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. While Zone A properties recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $31,712 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, Zone X properties also recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $13,244 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. An additional claim was recorded in unshaded Zone X with an average payout of $5,087. Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated special flood hazard areas and moderate-to-low risk zones should pay close attention to historical claim patterns and local drainage conditions.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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 2018, with 7 claims and $154,951 paid, the year of Hurricane Florence.
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.
31 NOAA storm reports from Chesterfield County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Carolina flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1984, 8 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 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 29, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 25, 2022 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 8, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 6, 2017 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
51 since 1996: 38 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $50,000 · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2020 | $100 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2018 | $100 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 15, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 14, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 11, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced…
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2024. Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Debby occurred across South Carolina for several days resulting in areas of flash flooding. There was also an isolated severe thunderstorm on the 6th.
Tropical Storm · Sep 30, 2022. Ian first formed as Tropical Depression Nine in the Caribbean Sea on September 23,|2022. It moved west and northwest into the Western Caribbean and strengthened|into a hurricane. The cyclone turned to the north and crossed over the western tip|of Cuba on September 27th.||Ian strengthened into a major hurricane and moved NNE across the SE Gulf of Mexico,|and intensified into a high end category 4 hurricane, makin…
Flash Flood · May 28, 2020. Daytime heating, along with sufficient atmospheric moisture and instability, combined with a nearly stationary surface boundary to produce persistent strong to severe thunderstorms over Chesterfield Co SC. This rainfall fell over areas where the ground was already saturated from recent heavy rains and caused many small streams to rise out of their banks and flood some roadways and bridges. Hail was also reported…
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 Chesterfield 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.