40 flood insurance claims·$460,578 paid·4 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 Prince Edward 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 flooding driven by summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Prince Edward County, Virginia, backed by 21 recorded flash flood events, 5 general flood events, and 1 tropical storm over the last 30 years. NOAA storm records document repeated occurrences of heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding caused by slow-moving stationary fronts and low-pressure systems, such as those that developed across the region in May, June, and July of 2025.
Federal insurance data reflects these local hazards through National Flood Insurance Program claims. Properties located in FEMA Zone A experienced the highest impact, accounting for 27 claims with an average payout of $22,272 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. An additional 12 claims occurred in areas with an unknown zone designation, averaging $2,899 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $8,417 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in FEMA Zone A, as these locations account for the vast majority of insurance claims and the highest average financial losses and water depths from heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Prince Edward County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
27 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 2 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 1978, with 10 claims and $26,481 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Prince Edward County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Feb 10, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 2, 2022 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A stationary front was located across central Virginia to northeast North Carolina on June 15. This front slowly moved southwest through the afternoon. Widespread storms developed during the afternoon and continued into the evening on June 15. These storms produced locally heavy rain and flash flooding across portions of central and southeast Virginia. Additionally, an isolated storm produced flash flooding across…
Flash Flood · May 13, 2025. An area of low pressure formed across a warm front along the Virginia/North Carolina border on May 13. Scattered storms formed across the Piedmont during the late afternoon and evening in a moist air mass. These storms produced locally heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2025. A short wave trough aloft approached the Mid-Atlantic from the west on July 9. Strong thunderstorms formed during the afternoon and evening with gusty winds and heavy rainfall.
Flash Flood · Jun 8, 2025. An area of low pressure tracked across the Ohio Valley on June 8. A stationary front attached to the low was located across central to southeast Virginia. Meanwhile, a secondary surface low formed along the stationary front during the evening of June 8. Scattered storms developed during the afternoon and evening of June 8 and produced locally heavy rain and flooding across portions of central 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 Prince Edward 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.