36 flood insurance claims·$567,544 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 New Kent 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 floods and inland river flooding dominate the flood risk profile in New Kent County, accounting for the majority of the 29 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside occasional tropical systems and coastal flooding.
Recent occurrences illustrate these diverse hazards, including an August 18, 2024 event where scattered thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding, and a prolonged coastal flood event on October 12, 2025 driven by strong northeast winds across the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, indicating that both designated high-risk areas and lower-risk zones experience water damage. Zone A properties account for 18 claims with an average recorded water depth of 9 inches and an average payout of $20,811. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced 15 claims with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $17,635. Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X, as well as properties situated near coastal waters and inland waterways, should pay the closest attention to their flood risk.
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 6 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 14 claims and $285,369 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from New Kent County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
29 since 1996: 18 flash floods, 6 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 5, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · May 5, 2025. An occluded low was located over the Ohio Valley with a stationary front across central Virginia on May 5. A cold front gradually moved east during the late afternoon and evening of May 5, allowing for scattered thunderstorms across central and eastern Virginia. These storms produced heavy rain and localized flash flooding.
Coastal Flood · Oct 1, 2025. Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda were located well offshore of the Eastern Seaboard on October 1, with high pressure over the Great Lakes and southern Canada. The combination of elevated winds and long-period swell led to coastal flooding. A few locations along the Virginia tidal rivers reached moderate flood stage from later October 1 into early October 3.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central and southeast 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 New Kent 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.