183 flood insurance claims·$5.2M paid·7 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
From the National Weather Service, checked 2 minutes ago. Every active flood alert in the U.S. →
| River gauge | Now | Forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Ragged Island Creek at US 17 | Minor flooding (2.8 ft) | — |
Is your address in the flood zone? Search it above for FEMA’s zone and base flood elevation. A new flood insurance policy usually takes 30 days to start (NFIP rule; exceptions include a policy bought when closing a mortgage), so one bought during a flood generally won’t cover it. Homeowners policies don’t cover flood.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Isle of Wight 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 summer thunderstorms and severe weather dominates the recorded flood history in Isle of Wight County, accompanied by frequent coastal flooding events. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 36 flash flood events, 10 coastal flood events, 9 general flood events, 5 tropical storm events, and 2 hurricanes resulting in 1 death. Recent events highlight these varied threats, including a coastal low that caused widespread moderate to major coastal flooding on October 12, 2025, and slow-moving convection that brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding on July 31, 2025.
Federal insurance records reflect significant impacts across multiple zones. Properties in high-risk Zone A account for 86 National Flood Insurance Program claims with an average payout of $53,927 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced 81 claims averaging $26,483 with an average recorded water depth of 11 inches, and Zone V recorded 6 claims averaging $17,201 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in designated coastal high-hazard zones, as well as those in moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas experiencing significant standing water, should pay the closest attention to these historical flood patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Isle of Wight County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
92 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 7 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 2006, with 47 claims and $2.9M paid, the year of Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Isle of Wight County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Oct 7, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Ida And A Nor'east | Nov 11, 2009 |
| Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 29, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
62 since 1996: 36 flash floods, 9 river or area floods and 10 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 28, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Aug 21, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A front was located north of the region and gradually moved south in response to an approaching mid level disturbance. To the south of the front, robust heating of a moist low level airmass resulted in increasing instability by the afternoon and evening hours. Strong, slow moving, convection resulted in areas of strong winds, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding during the late afternoon and evening.
Coastal Flood · Oct 28, 2025. Low pressure off the Mid-Atlantic coast combined with high pressure in Canada, resulting in a lengthy period of northeasterly onshore flow. Increasing tidal anomalies resulted in moderate to locally major tidal flooding over an extended period.
Coastal Flood · Aug 21, 2025. Hurricane Erin passed well offshore and combined with high pressure to the north, resulting in a period of strong onshore winds and coastal flooding across eastern Virginia and the Virginia Eastern Shore.
Coastal Flood · Sep 16, 2025. A coastal low lingered near the North Carolina and Virginia coastline on September 16, slowly moving northwest into the Chesapeake Bay by the evening of September 16. This low brought a prolonged period of elevated northerly winds across the Chesapeake Bay, resulting in widespread moderate to locally major coastal flooding across portions of eastern 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 Isle of Wight 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.