26 flood insurance claims·$216,194 paid·7 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 Bedford 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.
Flash flooding from severe summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood character of Bedford County, Virginia. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 59 flash flood events compared to 22 general flood events and one tropical storm. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall and thunderstorms from an upper low system in May 2025, saturated soils and wind from the remnants of Hurricane Debbie in August 2024, and scattered storms fueled by a stationary front in September 2024.
NFIP historical claims data indicates that flood damage occurs across multiple zones, with the highest number of claims recorded in Zone X (16 claims averaging an average 2 inches of recorded water depth and $13,804 in payouts) and Zone X_UNSHADED (4 claims averaging an average 3 inches of recorded water depth and $9,607 in payouts). Meanwhile, Zone X_SHADED recorded fewer claims (2) but higher severity, with an average 7 inches of recorded water depth and an average payout of $15,415. Zone A recorded 3 claims with an average 2 inches of recorded water depth and a $7,500 average payout, while an unknown zone recorded 1 claim with an average 0 inches of recorded water depth and a $1,397 payout.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in both mapped flood hazards like Zone A and unshaded or shaded Zone X areas, where localized heavy rain frequently produces damaging water accumulation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 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 2020, with 7 claims and $69,417 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.
41 NOAA storm reports from Bedford County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Feb 10, 2025 |
| Post-tropical Cyclone Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
82 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 23, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | $11,000 |
| Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 13, 2025. An upper low positioned over the Tennessee Valley, with numerous shortwaves rotating through it, brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the area for a few days. Surface low pressure over the Midwest also helped to prompt the development of thunderstorms. A plume of moisture pushed northward into the area from the Carolinas, and helped convective initiation, despite some dry air also in the area. SB…
Flash Flood · Sep 25, 2024. A nearly stationary front that extended south from West Virginia into Western Virginia and North Carolina Piedmont served as the focus for thunderstorm development during the afternoon of September 25. Some clearing allowed for an increase in instability, but not quite enough to support widespread severe thunderstorms. Favorable upper level divergence was also present over the area as an upper low closed off over…
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2024. The remnants of Hurricane Debbie moved north toward the area on August 8th, 2024. A strong southeast flow of wind on the system's northern extent, along with wet soils due to heavy rainfall, helped to cause downed trees and power lines over portions of Virginia. Winds gusted to at least 40 to 45 mph over parts of the region. The strong winds continued into the morning hours of August 9th, 2024. The highest totals…
Flash Flood · Aug 3, 2024. A nearly stationary front across western Virginia, combined with|abundant moisture, helped to generate widespread showers and thunderstorms. A few of the thunderstorms increased to severe levels and produced damaging winds. Rainfall rates in several of the storms ranged from three to locally five inches per hour.
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 Bedford 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.