766 flood insurance claims·$7.2M paid·9 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 Colleton 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.
Colleton County faces a diverse flood risk profile driven primarily by tropical storms and flash floods, with 33 recorded events of each type over the last 30 years, alongside frequent coastal flooding and general flood events.
Recent occurrences illustrate these ongoing hazards. In October 2025, strong northeast winds combined with high pressure, offshore low pressure, and astronomical influences from a full moon and perigee to produce significant coastal flooding. In August 2025, a surface front interacting with a deep moisture environment generated thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims concentrated in high-risk zones, led by Zone A with 519 claims averaging a payout of $13,869 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches, and Zone V with 213 claims averaging a payout of $12,451 and an average water depth of 5 inches. Properties in Zone A and Zone V face the highest risk, though lower-risk zones also report claims, such as Zone X with an average payout of $30,329 and 3 inches of average water depth, and Zone X_UNSHADED with an average payout of $37,826 and 2 inches of average water depth. Coastal property owners and residents in designated special flood hazard areas should pay the closest attention to these risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Colleton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
739 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 2016, with 310 claims and $2.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Matthew.
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.
79 NOAA storm reports from Colleton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Carolina flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 9 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.
128 since 1996: 33 flash floods, 21 river or area floods and 33 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 23, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 11, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2025 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | $576,000 |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 23, 2025. Mid-level energy tracking across the region along with a deep moisture and modest instability residing near a stalled front led to an environment supportive of heavy rainfall across Southeast South Carolina.
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.
Coastal Flood · Oct 11, 2025. Persistent and strong northeast winds resulting from high pressure inland and low pressure offshore led to coastal flooding along coastal Southeast South Carolina.
Coastal Flood · Oct 10, 2025. Strong northeast winds resulting from high pressure inland and developing low pressure offshore along with astronomical influences associated with a recent full moon and perigee led to coastal flooding along coastal Southeast South Carolina.
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 Colleton 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.