9 flood insurance claims·$60,932 paid·6 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 Charles City 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 inland flood events from heavy rain and severe weather dominate the historical flood record in Charles City County, Virginia. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 11 flash flood events, 5 general flood events, 3 coastal flood events, 1 tropical storm, and 1 hurricane. Recent impacts are highlighted by strong low pressure systems and frontal boundaries producing heavy rain, such as the flash flood events on January 9, 2024, and August 4, 2024. Additionally, prolonged northeasterly onshore flow between coastal low pressure and northern high pressure systems has driven moderate to major tidal flooding, as occurred during coastal flood events on October 12, 2025, and October 28, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A accumulated 6 claims with an average payout of $7,683 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Properties in Zone X accounted for 3 claims with an average payout of $10,066 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in designated Zone A flood hazard areas, as well as those near coastal tidal waters and flash-flood-prone inland zones, should pay the closest attention to flood risk and mitigation.
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 1 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 2003, with 5 claims and $42,032 paid, the year of Hurricane Isabel.
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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Charles City County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 29, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston | Aug 30, 2004 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 11 flash floods, 5 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Oct 28, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 18, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Oct 28, 2025. Low pressure off the Mid-Atlantic coast combined with high pressure in Canada, resulting in a lengthy period of northeasterly onshore flow. Increasing tidal anomalies resulted in moderate to locally major tidal flooding over an extended period.
Coastal Flood · Oct 12, 2025. A coastal low formed off of the Southeast coast on October 11 and slowly tracked north into October 13 before moving offshore. Meanwhile, a strong 1035mb area of high pressure lingered over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. This resulted in a prolonged period of strong northeast to north winds across the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters, which allowed for widespread moderate to major coastal flooding across eastern Vir…
Flash Flood · Jan 9, 2024. Strong low pressure and an associated cold front moving across the Mid Atlantic Region produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central, south central and southeast Virginia.
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of 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 Charles City 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.