109 flood insurance claims·$1.5M 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 Darlington 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.
Flooding in Darlington County is predominantly driven by standard floods and flash floods, supported by occasional tropical storm activity over the last 30 years according to NOAA data. Historical events underscore this vulnerability, including the impacts of Tropical Storm Ian in September 2022 and Hurricane Florence in September 2018, which brought severe rainfall and tropical storm force conditions to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 58 claims with an average payout of $19,451 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Additionally, Zone X properties recorded 38 claims averaging $11,294 with an average water depth of 8 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED properties saw 4 claims averaging $22,063 with an average water depth of 8 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 7 claims averaging $10,707 with an average water depth of 4 inches, and Zone V recorded 1 claim with a $0 payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in both Zone A and Zone X—including unshaded designations—should pay close attention to these flood risks, as both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk zones have experienced documented claims and significant average water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Darlington County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
64 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 2018, with 26 claims and $496,305 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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Darlington County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Carolina flood stories →
26 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 |
| 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.
34 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 18 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 8, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2018 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 14, 2018 | $40,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2016 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2016 | $300,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 30, 2022. Hurricane Ian made landfall along the west coast of Florida on September 28, 2022, then moved across the Florida peninsula and exited off the east coast of Florida on September 29, 2022. Ian then moved north and made a second landfall near Georgetown, SC on September 30, 2022. Ian resulted in a variety of impacts across northeast South Carolina from tropical storm force winds to flash flooding, and storm surge.
Tropical Storm · Jul 8, 2021. Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall in the panhandle of Florida, then moved northeastward into the Carolinas and weakened. The storm still managed to down some trees and had tropical storm gusts.
Flash Flood · Sep 17, 2020. Moisture from Tropical Storm Sally produce flash flooding and strong storms.
Flash Flood · Sep 16, 2018. Hurricane Florence began its long Atlantic trek from the Cape Verde Islands in early September. It made landfall near Wrightsville Beach during the morning of September 14th. The barometric pressure at landfall was 959 millibars, or 28.32 inches.The strongest winds were recorded at 106 mph at Cape Lookout, as well as 105 mph measured at the Wilmington International Airport. In addition to the strong storm surge,…
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 Darlington 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.