Enter any address in Lexington County, South Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms is the most frequent type of flood event recorded in Lexington County over the past 30 years, with 77 such events documented. For example, impactful flash flooding occurred in West Columbia on September 6, 2025, when slow-moving storms dropped 2-4 inches of rain in urban areas. Another event on August 16, 2025, caused urban flash flooding due to heavy rainfall from a weather system moving through the Deep South.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $23,636 and an average water depth of 8.6 feet. While Zone X areas have fewer claims, they have shown a higher average water depth of 10.3 feet in some instances. Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X areas should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
28 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Lexington County, South Carolina has recorded 100 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 77 flash floods and 13 river or area floods. The county has received 25 federal disaster declarations, 1 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1977–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 25, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Hurricane | Sep 8, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Hurricane | Sep 6, 2017 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 16, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 6, 2025 | 15.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | 16.00M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2023 | 500.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2023 | 5.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2022 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | 1.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 22, 2025
An upper ridge over the Southeast led to very warm temperatures. Additionally, localized surface convergence allowed isolated convection to occur. High precipitable values over 2 inches caused heavy rainfall with the convection, resulting in an isolated instance of flash flooding in Leesville, SC.
Flood — Aug 16, 2025
Upper ridging in place to the west of the area, over the central US. A MCS developed east of the ridge axis and moved through the Deep South. Deep layer moisture in place and convergence from colliding outflow boundaries led to heavy rain. This caused urban flash flooding during the night of August 15th into the 16th.
Flash Flood — Sep 6, 2025
A cluster of very slow moving thunderstorms formed across eastern Lexington county, producing several areas of impactful flash flooding in West Columbia. With anomalously high precipitable water and weak shear, the cluster of storms moved very slowly over the course of several hours and dropped between 2-4 inches of rain in a highly urban area.
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 tropica...
Flash Flood — Jul 24, 2024
A stalled boundary across central South Carolina, combined with extremely high precipitable water values lead to a series of training thunderstorms and flash flooding. Skinny instability and unidirectional flow aloft caused the line of storms to move parallel to the boundary with widespread 2-3 inch per hour rates for several hours in the central Midlands. Saturated soils and some sub-severe gu...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Lexington County, South Carolina:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Lexington County, South Carolina that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.