485 flood insurance claims·$5.7M 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 William 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.
Prince William County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by standard riverine and general floods, alongside frequent flash floods driven by slow-moving low-pressure systems and thunderstorms. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 182 flood events, 84 flash flood events, and 1 storm surge or tide event.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. In May 2025, a slow-moving upper-level low brought anomalous moisture and rainfall rates exceeding two inches an hour, causing localized totals of four to eight inches in parts of the region and lingering flooding into May 14th. Additionally, a slow-moving area of low pressure in June 2025 produced localized rainfall amounts of two to four inches in an hour or two, resulting in flash flooding that required multiple rounds of heavy rain overnight and into June 27th.
NFIP claims data demonstrates that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 212 claims with an average payout of $23,960 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X recorded 208 claims with an average payout of $10,250 and an average water depth of 10 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-to-low risk Zone X properties should pay close attention, as substantial claims and significant water depths have occurred outside traditional high-risk zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Prince William County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
254 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 2011, with 58 claims and $649,043 paid, the year of The Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee.
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.
83 NOAA storm reports from Prince William County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 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 |
| The Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 8, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
267 since 1996: 84 flash floods, 182 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 27, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 27, 2025. A slow moving area of low pressure spawned showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours of June 26th. These thunderstorms were slow moving and produced localized rainfall amounts of two to four inches in an hour or two, which resulted in flash flooding. Another round of showers and thunderstorms developed late in the overnight and into the morning of June 27th bringing additional heavy rain and…
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2025. A slow moving area of low pressure spawned showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours of June 26th. These thunderstorms were slow moving and produced localized rainfall amounts of two to four inches in an hour or two, which resulted in flash flooding. Another round of showers and thunderstorms developed late in the overnight and into the morning of June 27th bringing additional heavy rain and…
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. An anomalously moist airmass with tropical moisture resided over much of Virginia on July 16th. This comes after several days of showers and thunderstorms, which left some areas with suppressed flash flood guidance. Slow moving thunderstorms developed on remnant boundaries and terrain circulations before propagating eastward. These storms produced localized rainfall amounts of two to five inches.
Flood · May 15, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area bringing localized heavy rain and a long duration moderate rain event.
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 William 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.