385 flood insurance claims·$6.5M paid·10 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 Northumberland 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.
Coastal flooding dominates the flood character of Northumberland County, accounting for 31 of the 59 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside flash floods, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Prolonged northeasterly onshore flow and coastal lows frequently drive tidal flooding across the Chesapeake Bay and local tidal rivers, as observed during moderate to major coastal flooding events in May, October, and late October.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest concentration in Zone A, which logged 263 claims with an average payout of $26,699 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X recorded 93 claims with an average payout of $11,547 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone V recorded 15 claims averaging $15,459 with an average water depth of 6 inches, while unknown zones recorded 14 claims averaging $10,335 with an average water depth of 1 inch.
Coastal property owners, as well as residents in Zones A and V, should pay the most attention to flood risk given the frequency of coastal flooding and tropical events affecting the area.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Northumberland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
278 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 5 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 131 claims and $3.3M 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Northumberland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 10 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 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| 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.
59 since 1996: 16 flash floods, 4 river or area floods and 31 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Oct 29, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | May 21, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Mar 26, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Oct 29, 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 22, 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 · May 21, 2025. An area of low pressure occluded over the Ohio Valley on May 21 into May 22. This allowed for a period of elevated onshore flow which led to moderate coastal flooding across portions of eastern Virginia along both sides of the Chesapeake Bay on May 21 and 22.
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…
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 Northumberland 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.