25 flood insurance claims·$119,372 paid·2 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 Manassas city, 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 and river flooding from summer thunderstorms and tropical systems dominate the local flood history, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 9 flash flood events and 7 flood events over the last 30 years. Recent events include heavy rainfall and widespread flooding from the remnants of Ida in September 2021, as well as slow-moving showers and thunderstorms that caused flooding in August 2020.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas. Zone X recorded 16 claims with an average payout of $8,597 and an average recorded water depth of 21 inches. Zone A recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $7,000 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay particular attention to properties in both Zone X and Zone A, as historical claims data demonstrates that significant water depths and financial losses occur in both moderate-to-low risk and high-risk flood zones during severe weather events.
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 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 2011, with 7 claims and $46,336 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Manassas city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 2 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 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Aug 13, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Sep 1, 2021. The remnants of Ida produced widespread flooding along with instances of flash flooding across the area. Tropical moisture infiltrated the area and there were moderate amounts of instability as well. This combined with the lift provided from the remnants of Ida led to heavy rainfall during this time. Rainfall amounts averaged around 1-3 near and east of Interstate 95, with amounts around 2 to 5 inches across porti…
Flood · Aug 13, 2020. Showers and thunderstorms developed, and with little steering flow aloft this caused the storm motion to be slow. The slow storm motion resulted in instances of flooding and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 12, 2020. Showers and thunderstorms developed, and with little steering flow aloft this caused the storm motion to be slow. The slow storm motion resulted in instances of flooding and flash flooding.
Flood · Aug 1, 2018. A southerly flow pumped in plenty of moisture from the Atlantic while a slow moving cold front approached from the west. Copious amounts of moisture ahead of the boundary led to showers and thunderstorms. Torrential downpours combined with convection training over the same areas led to 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 Manassas city 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.