239 flood insurance claims·$3.7M 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 Botetourt 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 and river flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate Botetourt County's flood history, backed by 43 flash flood events and 34 general flood events recorded over the last 30 years, including 1 flood-related death. Tropical systems represent a minor portion of the hazard mix with 1 recorded event.
Recent occurrences illustrate these risks. In June 2025, a stalled frontal boundary and severe thunderstorms produced heavy moisture, while a separate line of storms trained over the Catawba Creek basin. In July 2025, a hot and humid air mass combined with orographical lift to generate isolated severe thunderstorms across the region.
Flood insurance claims data highlights that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest concentration of losses with 172 claims, averaging a payout of $19,531 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. However, homeowners outside designated high-risk areas should also pay attention. Properties in unshaded Zone X recorded 36 claims averaging $20,950 with an average water depth of 14 inches, and shaded Zone X properties recorded claims with an average water depth of 30 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Botetourt County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
217 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 1985, with 48 claims and $1.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
40 NOAA storm reports from Botetourt County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
24 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 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 23, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
78 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2025 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Aug 25, 2022 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2021 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A hot and humid air mass combined with orographical lift to produce isolated severe thunderstorms across southwest Virginia. Damaging wind gusts from these storms blew down a few trees, and lightning from one of these storms struck a house and set it on fire in Bedford County.
Flash Flood · Jun 16, 2025. A line of thunderstorms developed over eastern Craig County at around 4:00 PM EDT and quickly spread eastward over the Catawba Creek basin in neighboring Botetourt County. Multiple cells trained over this area through around 6:45 PM EDT before exiting to the south. These storms formed along a stationary front situated across central Virginia. Convergence along the front provided focus for initiation of the storms…
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A stalled frontal boundary located in southern Virginia interacted with a very unstable environment to produce severe thunderstorms in south-central Virginia. The thunderstorm winds from these storms caused tree and power line damage. Moisture was abundant across the area, with precipitable water values observed at between 1.7 and 1.9 inches. Storms were progressive however, and observed moving to the east at 15…
Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A stalled frontal boundary located in southern Virginia interacted with a very unstable environment to produce severe thunderstorms in south-central Virginia. The thunderstorm winds from these storms caused tree and power line damage. Moisture was abundant across the area, with precipitable water values observed at between 1.7 and 1.9 inches. Storms were progressive however, and observed moving to the east at 15…
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 Botetourt 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.