56 flood insurance claims·$1.3M paid·8 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 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 from heavy rainfall dominates the local hazard profile, supported by significant occurrences of riverine and coastal flooding over the past thirty years. According to NOAA records, the county experienced 51 flash flood events, 11 standard flood events, and 8 coastal flood events, alongside single occurrences of a tropical storm and a hurricane.
Recent events illustrate these varied risks. In July 2025, slow-moving thunderstorms with high precipitable water values produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Later that year, coastal flooding occurred in October 2025 due to a combination of a coastal low, strong northeast winds across the Chesapeake Bay, and elevated swells influenced by distant hurricanes.
NFIP insurance claims reflect vulnerability across multiple zones. Properties in moderate-to-low risk Zone X recorded 32 claims with an average payout of $26,016 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. High-risk Zone A properties filed 23 claims with an average payout of $22,772 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners in both designated flood zones and lower-risk areas should pay close attention to these risks, as property damage occurs in both Zone A and Zone X environments.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Richmond County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
23 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 4 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 21 claims and $514,246 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Richmond County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 8 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.
72 since 1996: 51 flash floods, 11 river or area floods and 8 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 28, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | May 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Mar 5, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2025. An isolated storm produced flash flooding in central Virginia on the evening of June 29.
Coastal Flood · Oct 28, 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.
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 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.