19 flood insurance claims·$128,126 paid·6 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 Madison 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.
Standard floods and flash floods dominate the flood character of Madison County, Virginia, accounting for 145 recorded events over the last 30 years alongside 1 tropical storm and 1 recorded flash flood death.
Heavy rainfall events, such as the slow-moving storms in May 2025, demonstrate this risk. During the May 2025 event, a closed upper-level low brought rain rates exceeding two inches an hour and localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across the Blue Ridge, causing flooding that lingered into the following morning.
Property owners and real estate agents should pay close attention to mapped hazard zones, particularly in Zone A, which accounts for the majority of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims with 15 filings averaging $9,402 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 24 inches. Properties in Zone X also require attention, having recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $10,074 and an average recorded water depth of 34 inches.
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 27 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 1996, with 9 claims and $49,824 paid, the year of Hurricane Fran and Associated Severe Storm Cond.
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.
52 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 2, 2022 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
146 since 1996: 44 flash floods and 101 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 28, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 13, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area bringing localized heavy rain and a long duration moderate rain event.
Flash Flood · May 13, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area. A long duration period of rain ensued, with rain rates exceeding two inches an hour during the afternoon and evening of May 13th. The slow moving storms coupled with training led to localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across the Blue Ridge, with lesser amounts of two to four inches alon…
Flood · Jul 1, 2025. An area of low pressure moved along a slow moving cold front bringing numerous showers and thunderstorms to Virginia. Multiple rounds of heavy rain occurred throughout the afternoon and evening and into the overnight across portions of central Virginia. Total rainfall amounts of two to five inches were observed where flooding occurred.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2025. An area of low pressure moved along a slow moving cold front bringing numerous showers and thunderstorms to Virginia. Multiple rounds of heavy rain occurred throughout the afternoon and evening and into the overnight across portions of central Virginia. Total rainfall amounts of two to five inches were observed where flooding occurred.
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 Madison 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.