357 flood insurance claims·$4.2M paid·7 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 Henrico 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall events dominates the flood risk profile in Henrico County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 57 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, compared to 7 standard flood events resulting in 1 death.
Recent occurrences illustrate this hazard. On June 15, a stationary front and widespread afternoon storms produced locally heavy rain and flash flooding. Later that summer, deep moisture and strong surface heating on July 19, as well as an upper-level trough and training storms on July 1, generated heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage spans multiple zones. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 189 claims averaging $18,648 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. However, properties in Zone X also face significant risk, recording 83 claims with an average payout of $12,374 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated high-risk flood zones and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to this localized flash flood hazard.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Henrico County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
254 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 9 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 2004, with 52 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston.
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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Henrico County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 7 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 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
64 since 1996: 57 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 20, 2025. Deep moisture ahead of an approaching upper trough resulted in thunderstorms that were efficient rain producers.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2025. A stationary front was anchored north of the area in Pennsylvania. Deep moisture was in place to the south of the front with precipitable water values near two inches. Strong surface heating resulted in robust instability with wind shear around 25 knots, allowing for deep, slow moving, convection capable of heavy rainfall and flash flooding during the afternoon and evening hours.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2025. A stationary front was draped north of the region with several embedded disturbances aloft moving across the area, resulting in heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A stationary front was located across central Virginia to northeast North Carolina on June 15. This front slowly moved southwest through the afternoon. Widespread storms developed during the afternoon and continued into the evening on June 15. These storms produced locally heavy rain and flash flooding across portions of central and southeast Virginia. Additionally, an isolated storm produced flash flooding across…
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 Henrico 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.