292 flood insurance claims·$7.7M 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 Sumter 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 flood character of Sumter County, supported by NOAA records of 32 flash flood events, 16 tropical storm events, and 2 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include severe flash flooding caused by slow-moving, training storms that developed within a moist and unstable air mass across Richland and Sumter counties in June 2025.
Federal flood insurance data demonstrates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A have experienced the highest impact with 167 NFIP claims averaging $44,157 and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 106 claims with an average payout of $28,952 and an average water depth of 14 inches. Zone V recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $37,538 and an average water depth of 15 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located in Zone A and Zone X should pay the most attention to these flood risks, as both zones have accumulated significant claim histories and notable average water depths during past inundation events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Sumter County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
175 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 16 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 178 claims and $6.3M 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.
30 NOAA storm reports from Sumter County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Carolina flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 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.
50 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 13, 2025. Diurnally driven convection developed within a moist and unstable air mass characterized by CAPE values greater than 2000 J/kg with weak wind shear and precipitable water values over 2 inches and dewpoints in the lower 70s. Storms were slow moving and trained across Richland and Sumter counties resulting in flash flooding. Isolated strong storms produced severe wind damage northwest of Sumter.
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 12, 2024. Training thunderstorms moved through Central Sumter County on the evening of August 12th producing up to 3.5 inches of rain in a few hours resulting in areas of localized flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 7, 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.
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 Sumter 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.