89 flood insurance claims·$2.2M paid·8 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 King William 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 heavy rainfall dominates King William County's flood history, accounting for 15 of the 25 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 8 general floods and 2 coastal floods. Recent events illustrate these varied mechanisms: on March 17, 2025, slow-moving showers and thunderstorms trained over the area to cause flash flooding, while on July 19, 2025, deep moisture and strong surface heating generated slow-moving convection that resulted in additional flash flooding. Later that year on October 12, 2025, a coastal low combined with high pressure to produce strong northeast winds, causing widespread moderate to major coastal flooding across eastern Virginia.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties located in Zone A face the highest risk, accounting for 73 claims with an average payout of $31,926 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. By comparison, Zone X properties recorded 13 claims with an average payout of $16,791 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate professionals in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of King William County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
73 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 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 2003, with 50 claims and $1.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Isabel.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from King William County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 2, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 29, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 15 flash floods, 8 river or area floods and 2 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 17, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Mar 17, 2025. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of a slow-moving cold front on March 16 across southeast Virginia. These showers and storms trained over the same areas into early on March 17, allowing for heavy rain and instances of flash flooding across portions of southeast Virginia on March 16 and 17.
Coastal Flood · Oct 12, 2025. A coastal low formed off of the Southeast coast on October 11 and slowly tracked north into October 13 before moving offshore. Meanwhile, a strong 1035mb area of high pressure lingered over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. This resulted in a prolonged period of strong northeast to north winds across the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters, which allowed for widespread moderate to major coastal flooding across eastern Vir…
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2025. Scattered showers and storms developed across central and eastern Virginia on July 12 given an unstable air mass in place. These storms were slow-moving and produced heavy rain and flooding.
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 King William 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.