4,290 flood insurance claims·$64.8M paid·5 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 Poquoson 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.
Coastal flooding dominates the flood history of Poquoson city, accounting for the majority of recorded events over the last 30 years alongside flash floods and tropical storms. Prolonged northeast winds driven by coastal lows and high pressure systems frequently push water from the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding rivers onto land, causing minor to major tidal flooding. For example, a coastal low and high pressure system produced widespread moderate to major coastal flooding on October 12, 2025. Similarly, Tropical Storm Ophelia brought strong winds and moderate to major tidal flooding on September 23, 2023, while another low pressure surge caused moderate coastal flooding on November 15, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows impacts across multiple zones, with the vast majority concentrated in Zone A at 4,135 claims with an average payout of $16,956 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone V recorded 64 claims with an average payout of $19,854 and an average water depth of 7 inches, while Zone X recorded 55 claims with an average payout of $19,680 and an average water depth of 9 inches. Zone X shaded recorded 12 claims with an average payout of $5,793 and an average water depth of 14 inches, and unknown zones recorded 23 claims with an average payout of $6,906 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Property owners in Zone A and coastal zones should pay the most attention to flood risk given the high volume of historical claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Poquoson city’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
4,212 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 8 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 2,046 claims and $44.4M 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Poquoson city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Ida And A Nor'east | Nov 11, 2009 |
| Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 29, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 10 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Nov 15, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 23, 2023 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 30, 2022 | — |
| Coastal Flood | May 8, 2022 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 3, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 8, 2021 | $15,000 |
— = 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…
Coastal Flood · Sep 20, 2024. The combination of strong high pressure over eastern Canada and weak low pressure off the southern New England coast, resulted in prolonged northeast, east and southeast winds which caused minor to moderate (tidal) coastal flooding across portions of the York River.
Coastal Flood · Nov 15, 2024. An area of low pressure moved across the Outer Banks and out to sea on the night of November 14 into November 15. Winds became northeast ahead of the low and northwest behind the low as it moved offshore on November 15. The result was a surge of water from the Chesapeake Bay with moderate coastal flooding reported across several areas.
Coastal Flood · Sep 23, 2023. Tropical Storm Ophelia tracked northward across east central North Carolina and up through central Virginia from early Saturday morning, September 23rd into early Sunday morning, September 24th. The combination of high pressure to the north and the storm resulted in very strong northeast, east and then southeast winds which caused moderate to major (tidal) coastal flooding across portions of the York River.
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 Poquoson 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.