123 flood insurance claims·$1.3M paid·5 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 Albemarle County, Virginia. 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 Albemarle County is dominated by standard floods and flash floods, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 132 flood events and 89 flash flood events—resulting in four deaths—over the last 30 years.
Severe weather can develop rapidly, as demonstrated on May 13, 2025, when a slow-moving closed upper-level low brought anomalous moisture and rain rates exceeding two inches per hour. This event produced localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across the Blue Ridge, causing flooding that lingered into the morning hours of May 14, 2025.
Property owners and real estate professionals should review National Flood Insurance Program claim histories to assess vulnerability. Zone A recorded the highest claim volume with 83 claims averaging $12,437 and an average recorded water depth of six inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 23 claims averaging $9,439 with a higher average recorded water depth of 36 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 10 claims averaging $24,775 with an average water depth of four inches. Residents in these specific zones, along with those managing properties in low-lying areas or near the Blue Ridge, should pay the closest attention to flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Albemarle County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
98 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 7 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 1987, with 33 claims and $226,617 paid.
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.
67 NOAA storm reports from Albemarle County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 2, 2022 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Earthquake | Aug 23, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
221 since 1996: 89 flash floods and 132 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 30, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2025. An unstable atmosphere along with plenty of moisture led to the development of showers and thunderstorms. The thunderstorms were slow moving, and trained over the same areas in spots resulting in flash flooding. Localized rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches were observed, with upwards of 5 inches in the most persistent thunderstorms.
Flash Flood · May 13, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area. A long duration period of rain ensued, with rain rates exceeding two inches an hour during the afternoon and evening of May 13th. The slow moving storms coupled with training led to localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across the Blue Ridge, with lesser amounts of two to four inches alon…
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2025. An anomalously moist airmass ahead of a frontal boundary sparked numerous showers and thunderstorms across Virginia. Instantaneous rain rates approached five to six inches an hour in the bigger storms. Storm total rainfall of one and a half to four inches resulted in flooding and flash flooding in areas throughout the evening of July 9th.
Flood · Sep 30, 2024. More heavy rain occurred due to plenty of moisture and lift around the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. The ground was already saturated due to previous rainfall, so this led to more instances of flooding and flash flooding.
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 Albemarle 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.