313 flood insurance claims·$5.1M 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 Rockbridge 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 and general riverine flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk profile in Rockbridge County, Virginia, based on NOAA Storm Events Database records spanning the last 30 years, which document 52 flash flood events, 24 flood events, and 1 tropical storm event.
Historical events illustrate this hazard, such as a June 2025 event driven by a stalled frontal boundary and abundant atmospheric moisture, as well as an August 2022 event caused by a warm front that triggered scattered thunderstorms with heavy rain and slow-moving cells.
Property owners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to locations within FEMA-designated flood zones, particularly Zone A, which accounts for the highest volume of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims in the county (227 claims with an average payout of $16,819 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches). Properties in Zone X_SHADED also warrant close attention, having recorded an average payout of $39,898 across 32 claims with an average recorded water depth of 11 inches, alongside properties in Zone X_UNSHADED, Zone X, and unknown zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Rockbridge County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
288 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 16 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 1995, with 84 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
31 NOAA storm reports from Rockbridge County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 8 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 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 23, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
77 since 1996: 52 flash floods and 24 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 13, 2020 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A stalled frontal boundary located in southern Virginia interacted with a very unstable environment to produce severe thunderstorms in south-central Virginia. The thunderstorm winds from these storms caused tree and power line damage. Moisture was abundant across the area, with precipitable water values observed at between 1.7 and 1.9 inches. Storms were progressive however, and observed moving to the east at 15…
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2022. A warm front, drifting northward from the Carolinas across the lower Mid-Atlantic, triggered scattered thunderstorms with heavy rain. Strong heating during the afternoon supported surface-based CAPE values rising into the 2,000 to 2,500 J/Kg range, while precipitable water values ranged from around 1.5 inches along the Blue Ridge to in excess of 1.8 inches across the central Piedmont of Virginia and North Carolin…
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2022. The approach of a cold front, daytime heating, and increasing low level instability, led to the development of isolated showers and thunderstorms. One of these storms reached severe levels and produced damaging winds. Additionally, lightning strikes caused damage to homes and trees. A female occupant of one of these homes sustained injury and had to obtain medical help. Thunderstorms began training along the Bath…
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2020. Storms during the afternoon and evening of the 22nd developed in a typical summertime environment of deep southerly windflow, carrying tropical moisture across the mid-Atlantic (with daily precipitable water values ranging from 1.30 to 1.60 inches), while abundant sunshine each afternoon provided the instability (CAPE values 1500-2500 J/Kg each day). The results were spotty thunderstorms that were efficient in pro…
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 Rockbridge 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.