8 flood insurance claims·$42,227 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 Caroline 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Caroline County, Virginia, supported by NOAA Storm Events Database records showing 15 flash flood events, 9 general flood events, and 2 tropical storm events over the last 30 years.
Severe weather patterns driven by slow-moving storms and high rain rates have repeatedly triggered local inundation. For instance, a stationary front and subsequent upper-level trough produced widespread heavy rain and flash flooding on June 15, 2025, and July 1, 2025. Additional flash flooding occurred from a weak surface low on May 6, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across different designations, including 4 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $7,888 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches, and 3 claims in Zone X with an average payout of $10,676 and an average recorded water depth of 99 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in designated flood zones, particularly Zone A and Zone X, should pay close attention to these historical claim patterns and local heavy rainfall risks.
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 24 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 2 claims and $12,776 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Caroline County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 2, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| The Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 8, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Aug 7, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A stationary front was located across central Virginia to northeast North Carolina on June 15. This front slowly moved southwest through the afternoon. Widespread storms developed during the afternoon and continued into the evening on June 15. These storms produced locally heavy rain and flash flooding across portions of central and southeast Virginia. Additionally, an isolated storm produced flash flooding across…
Flash Flood · Jun 14, 2025. Scattered storms developed across central and southeast Virginia during the afternoon and evening of June 15. These storms were slow-moving and produced locally heavy rain and flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2025. An upper-level trough and cold front progressed from the Great Lakes region into the Mid-Atlantic on July 1. Numerous thunderstorms moved into central Virginia in the afternoon and evening hours. With training storms and very high rain rates, heavy rain led to nuisance flash flooding in some areas.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms associated with low pressure and a surface trough produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central and eastern Virginia.
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 Caroline 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.