19 flood insurance claims·$695,083 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 Floyd 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 driven by severe weather systems dominates the flood history of Floyd County, Virginia. Over the last 30 years, recorded events include 21 flash floods, 5 general floods, and 1 tropical storm.
Recent weather events illustrate these risks. On June 20, 2023, a stacked upper-level low-pressure system transported deep moisture from the coastal Carolinas into the area, resulting in flash flooding along the crest of the Blue Ridge. A similar event occurred on May 29, 2023, when an upper-level low over central Alabama directed deep subtropical moisture from the Atlantic into the lower Mid-Atlantic region, causing persistent rain and flash flooding.
Property owners and real estate agents should pay close attention to historical claim patterns across FEMA zones. In Zone A, 12 claims recorded an average payout of $45,509 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. In Zone X, 7 claims recorded an average payout of $38,897 and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches.
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 2015, with 10 claims and $421,592 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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Floyd County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 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 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2023 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flood | May 21, 2020 | $7,000 |
| Flood | May 20, 2020 | $7,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 13, 2020 | $39,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2018 | $28,900 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 29, 2023. A deep, closed upper level low pressure system was observed over central Alabama on the morning of May 28th. The east winds around this low, allowed deep sub-tropical moisture from the Atlantic to move into lower Mid-Atlantic region. Areas of rain developed across the mountains by late morning, and gradually increased in coverage due to the sustained 25 to 30 knot (850mb) moisture inflow. Precipitable water values…
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2023. A stacked upper level low pressure system drifted from the Ohio River Valley to eastern Kentucky during the early morning hours of the 20th. South-southeasterly windflow around the low was efficient in transporting deep moisture into the area from the coastal Carolinas, allowing precipitable water values to rise into the 1.5 to 1.7 inch range along the crest of the Blue Ridge in Virginia south of Roanoke. Winds we…
Tropical Storm · Oct 29, 2020. Winds associated with Tropical Storm Zeta caused damage and power outages in southwestern Virginia, concentrated close to border with North Carolina. Wind gusts reached 30-40 knots during the peak of the storm. Numerous trees were blown down by Tropical Storm Zeta, with many falling on homes, power lines, and blocking roadways. A thunderstorm closely following Zeta contributed to some of the wind damage.
Flood · May 21, 2020. An upper-level low became cut-off over the southern Appalachian region for several days leading to persistent rainfall and eventually some flooding. Four-day (96-hour) rainfall amounts ending at 800 AM EDT on May 22nd ranged from 3 to over 12 inches in the most favored locations. Some of the 11-inch+, 4-day rain totals in Roanoke County were within the 200-year recurrence interval (9.78 to 11.8 inches) per NOAA At…
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 Floyd 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.