18 flood insurance claims·$84,430 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 Williamsburg 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.
Coastal flooding from persistent low pressure systems, nor'easters, and tropical weather dominates the flood history of Williamsburg City, accounting for 17 of the 29 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside hurricanes and tropical storms.
Recent history illustrates this coastal vulnerability. On October 12, 2025, a coastal low interacting with high pressure over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence produced a prolonged period of strong northeast winds that drove widespread moderate to major coastal flooding across eastern Virginia. Earlier that month, on October 1, 2025, the combination of elevated winds and long-period swell from distant hurricanes pushed Virginia tidal rivers into moderate flood stage. Heavy summer rainfall also poses risks, as demonstrated by a stationary front on July 20, 2024, that dropped heavy rain and caused flash flooding across portions of central and eastern Virginia.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows varying impacts across zones. Properties in coastal and velocity zones, designated as Zone V, recorded an average payout of $15,273 with an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded an average payout of $15,296 with an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone A properties averaged $2,551 with 1 inch of recorded water depth. Coastal property owners, those in designated high-risk zones, and residents in unshaded Zone X areas should pay the closest attention to flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
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 1989, with 5 claims and $62,803 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Williamsburg city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
16 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 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Jan 25, 2000 |
| Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations | Sep 13, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
29 since 1996: 2 flash floods, 3 river or area floods and 17 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Nov 15, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 1, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 27, 2023 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 23, 2023 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 30, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Oct 12, 2025. A coastal low formed off of the Southeast coast on October 11 and slowly tracked north into October 13 before moving offshore. Meanwhile, a strong 1035mb area of high pressure lingered over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. This resulted in a prolonged period of strong northeast to north winds across the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters, which allowed for widespread moderate to major coastal flooding across eastern Vir…
Coastal Flood · Oct 1, 2025. Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda were located well offshore of the Eastern Seaboard on October 1, with high pressure over the Great Lakes and southern Canada. The combination of elevated winds and long-period swell led to coastal flooding. A few locations along the Virginia tidal rivers reached moderate flood stage from later October 1 into early October 3.
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2024. A stationary front remained draped across the southern Virginia border through the day on July 20, 2024. Meanwhile, a weak surface low developed along the front during the afternoon before moving offshore by the early evening. A very moist air mass was in place with dew points generally in the mid to upper 70s. The result was widespread heavy rain and flooding across portions of central and eastern Virginia as wel…
Coastal Flood · Nov 15, 2024. An area of low pressure moved across the Outer Banks and out to sea on the night of November 14 into November 15. Winds became northeast ahead of the low and northwest behind the low as it moved offshore on November 15. The result was a surge of water from the Chesapeake Bay with moderate coastal flooding reported across several areas.
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 Williamsburg 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.