79 flood insurance claims·$1.2M paid·4 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 Colonial Heights city, 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms dominates the flood history of Colonial Heights city, with NOAA records showing 14 flash flood events compared to 5 general flood events over the last 30 years. This pattern is illustrated by events such as those on July 13, 2025, when a moist and unstable air mass produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding, especially across the Tri-Cities.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are concentrated in specific zones. Properties in Zone A experienced the highest claim volume with 63 claims, averaging a payout of $22,721 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Other zones recorded fewer claims, including 7 claims in Zone X averaging $25,674 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and 5 claims in Zone X_UNSHADED averaging $14,492 with an average water depth of 22 inches. Minor claims were also recorded in Zone UNKNOWN (3 claims averaging $1,676 and 1 inch of water) and Zone X_SHADED (1 claim averaging $15,314 and 2 inches of water).
Homeowners and real estate professionals handling properties in high-risk areas like Zone A, as well as properties susceptible to intense summer rainfall and flash flooding, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Colonial Heights city’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
69 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 8 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 24 claims and $255,980 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Colonial Heights city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 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 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston | Aug 30, 2004 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Jan 25, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. A moist and unstable air mass resulted in scattered storms developing across portions of central and eastern Virginia on July 13. These slow-moving storms produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding, especially across the Tri-Cities.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2025. Scattered showers and storms developed across central and eastern Virginia on July 12 given an unstable air mass in place. These storms were slow-moving and produced heavy rain and flooding.
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 · Jun 16, 2023. Scattered thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central and southeast 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 Colonial Heights city 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.