547 flood insurance claims·$11.8M 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 Richmond 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.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood character of Richmond city, VA, accounting for 70 recorded events and 3 deaths over the last 30 years compared to 4 general flood events. Recent activity includes widespread flash flooding driven by slow-moving storms and heavy rain totals of 2 to 4 inches on July 14–15, 2025, following a stationary front and storm activity on June 15, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest volume with 391 claims averaging a $29,572 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. However, properties in Zone X have recorded significantly deeper inundation among claims, with an average recorded water depth of 21 inches across 77 claims and an average payout of $30,043. Additionally, claims have been filed in Zone X shaded (16 claims, average water depth of 3 inches, average payout of $20,720), Zone X unshaded (24 claims, average water depth of 2 inches, average payout of $7,717), and unknown zones (36 claims, average water depth of 3 inches, average payout of $7,707). Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in Zone A due to high claim frequency, as well as properties in Zone X where average recorded water depths from flooding are substantially higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Richmond city’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
432 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 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 1985, with 171 claims and $6.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Richmond city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 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 |
| Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 29, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston | Aug 30, 2004 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
74 since 1996: 70 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2025 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2025. Scattered storms developed along a surface trough and in a hot and humid airmass on June 26. An isolated storm produced minor flash flooding in the City of Richmond in the afternoon hours.
Flash Flood · Sep 20, 2025. Deep moisture ahead of an approaching upper trough resulted in thunderstorms that were efficient rain producers.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2025. A stationary front was draped north of the region with several embedded disturbances aloft moving across the area, resulting in heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
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…
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 Richmond 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.