34 flood insurance claims·$540,643 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 Clarke 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.
Clarke County experiences a dominant threat from general riverine and long-duration floods, with 33 recorded flood events and 20 flash flood events over the last 30 years. These incidents are frequently driven by slow-moving weather systems, saturated soils, and tropical moisture remnants, such as the heavy rainfall from the remnants of Debby in August 2024 and the widespread flooding produced by the remnants of Ida in September 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties situated in Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A experience the most severe impacts, averaging $36,593 per claim with an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. Properties located in Zone X and unshaded Zone X designations also record historical claims, averaging $6,876 with an average 5 inches of water depth, and $9,239 with an average 14 inches of water depth, respectively.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located near rivers and streams within Zone A, where historical payouts and water depths are significantly higher, while remaining aware that properties in Zone X zones also face measurable flood 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 12 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 1996, with 21 claims and $443,804 paid, the year of Flooding, High Winds, and Wind Driven Rain and Hurricane Fran and Associated Severe Storm Cond.
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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Clarke County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
20 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 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 33 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 17, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 16, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Dec 16, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Sep 9, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 14, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area bringing localized heavy rain and a long duration moderate rain event.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2024. The remnants of Debby tracked through the area Thursday night into Friday, August 8th into August 9th. Tropical moisture combined with lift from the remnants to cause heavy rain across much of Virginia. The heavy rain led to several instances of flash flooding and flooding.
Flood · Sep 1, 2021. The remnants of Ida produced widespread flooding along with instances of flash flooding across the area. Tropical moisture infiltrated the area and there were moderate amounts of instability as well. This combined with the lift provided from the remnants of Ida led to heavy rainfall during this time. Rainfall amounts averaged around 1-3 near and east of Interstate 95, with amounts around 2 to 5 inches across porti…
Flood · Jun 23, 2018. Heavy rain on saturated soils during the evening of June 21st caused flooding. The heavy rains intensified overnight, causing both flooding and flash flooding early on the 22nd. Widespread flooding persisted throughout Northern Virginia throughout the day n the 22nd. Additional heavy rain during the evening of the 22nd caused more flooding which continued into the 23rd, and the combination of all the rain events c…
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 Clarke 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.