6 flood insurance claims·$11,403 paid·5 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 Grayson 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 from intense thunderstorms dominates the flood character of Grayson County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 39 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 14 general flood events. Recent activity includes multiple intense thunderstorms driven by upper-level disturbances, strong daytime heating, and deep moisture pooling, such as the flash flood events recorded in May 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across various zones with distinct impacts. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $1,009 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $9,384 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 26 inches.
Properties situated in areas prone to flash flooding, as well as those located within Zone A, Zone X, and unmapped zones, should pay the closest attention to these 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 10 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 1979, with 3 claims and $176 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Grayson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Feb 10, 2025 |
| Post-tropical Cyclone Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 39 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | $23.0M · 1 killed |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | $500,000 |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | $2.0M |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2024 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash 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 inland, from the Florida…
Flood · Sep 26, 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 inland, from the Florida…
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2024. An upper level low was situated in the vicinity of western Tennessee, while a strong upper ridge was positioned over the southeast coast, which helped to steer Hurricane Helene into the Florida Big Bend during the evening of September 26. Ahead of Helene, the Predecessor Rainfall Event (PRE) that developed on the 25th continued to intensify as upper level areas of low pressure rotating around the upper low continu…
Flash Flood · May 22, 2024. Multiple intense thunderstorms developed with the passage of an upper level disturbance during an afternoon of strong daytime heating. Abundant sunshine and above normal warmth resulted in surface-base CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) values ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 J/Kg for areas west of the Blue Ridge in western Virginia. Precipitable water values were estimated to be in the 1.2 to 1.3 inch rang…
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 Grayson 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.