Enter any address in Giles County, Virginia to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall is the dominant flood character in Giles County, VA. Between 1996 and 2024, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 46 flash flood events and 41 flood events. For example, on July 30, 2025, slow-moving thunderstorms with rainfall rates up to 5 inches per hour caused flooding in the Town of Rich Creek.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $18,072 and an average water depth of 6.6 feet. Properties in Zone X_SHADED also show a significant number of claims, with an average payout of $17,429 and an average water depth of 6.0 feet. While fewer claims have been filed in Zone X and Zone X_UNSHADED, these areas have seen higher average payouts and, in the case of Zone X, a much deeper average water depth of 25.2 feet.
Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X_SHADED should pay close attention to flood risk due to the higher number of claims and associated water depths. Additionally, residents in Zone X should be aware of the potential for significant flood depths, even with fewer recorded claims.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
48 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Giles County, Virginia has recorded 87 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 46 flash floods and 41 river or area floods. The county has received 22 federal disaster declarations, 3 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1972–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Feb 10, 2025 |
| Post-tropical Cyclone Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Florence | Hurricane | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Hurricane | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Severe Storm | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 30, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 30, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | 15.00K |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 29, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 9, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 24, 2022 | 0.00K |
Flood — Jul 30, 2025
Slow moving thunderstorms with rainfall rates as high as 5 inches per hour caused localized flooding in the City of Radford and neighboring Montgomery County. Heavy rain also caused flooding and a landslide in and around the Town of Rich Creek, VA.
Flood — Feb 15, 2025
A deep upper level trough was observed exiting the southern Rockies during the morning of February 15th, with southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough allowing for a fetch of deep moisture from the western Gulf of America. This moisture pooled along a warm front situated across from Kentucky into southwest Virginia, where precipitable water values increased from 0.6 to 0.7 inches at 7 am that...
Flash Flood — Feb 15, 2025
A deep upper level trough was observed exiting the southern Rockies during the morning of February 15th, with southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough allowing for a fetch of deep moisture from the western Gulf of America. This moisture pooled along a warm front situated across from Kentucky into southwest Virginia, where precipitable water values increased from 0.6 to 0.7 inches at 7 am that...
Flash Flood — Sep 30, 2024
Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms associated with the remnant moisture of Tropical Storm Helene passed across the region, producing localized heavy rainfall across soils that were already moist from previous rainfall. Rainfall rates in several of the storms that developed ranged from between three and five inches per hour and, in a few cases, were higher. Creeks that were already hig...
Flood — Sep 27, 2024
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning, weakening as it moved over land. Helene���s intensity and fast forward motion led to impacts being felt well inlan...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Giles County, Virginia:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Giles County, Virginia that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.