1,569 flood insurance claims·$32.2M 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 York 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of York County, Virginia, supported by 26 flash flood events over the last 30 years compared to 10 coastal flood events, 6 general floods, and 4 tropical storms. This hazard is driven by slow-moving storms and heavy rainfall, such as the event on July 15, 2025, when widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches caused flash flooding in two rounds, and the heavy showers on September 27, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk spans multiple zones with varying severity. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 1,335 filings averaging $24,938 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. While Zone X has fewer claims at 189, it recorded a higher average water depth of 10 inches with an average payout of $14,712. Zone V represents the highest severity with 12 claims averaging a $52,001 payout and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in high-risk coastal and riverine areas—particularly Zone V properties facing severe surge depths and Zone A properties experiencing frequent inundation—should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of York County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,347 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 7 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 938 claims and $26.9M 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 York County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
19 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 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Jan 25, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
46 since 1996: 26 flash floods, 6 river or area floods and 10 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A front was located north of the region and gradually moved south in response to an approaching mid level disturbance. To the south of the front, robust heating of a moist low level airmass resulted in increasing instability by the afternoon and evening hours. Strong, slow moving, convection resulted in areas of strong winds, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding during the late afternoon and evening.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2025. A moist and unstable airmass was in place on September 27. Meanwhile, a surface low lingered across south central Virginia along the North Carolina border with a stationary front extending east along the state border. This low slowly moved east-northeast through the afternoon on September 27. This allowed for rounds of heavy showers and storms to move across central and southeast Virginia beginning during the morn…
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2025. Moisture and instability pooled along a nearly stationary frontal boundary across southeast Virginia on August 18. Slow-moving showers and storms trained over the lower Virginia Peninsula region, with flash flooding occurring in the late afternoon and evenings hours.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2025. A moist and unstable air mass was in place from July 14 through July 15. This allowed for widespread, slow-moving storms to move across portions of central, southern, and southeastern Virginia. These storms produced heavy rain and widespread flash flooding in two rounds. One round was from overnight convection on the night of July 14 into the morning of July 15 and the other round was during the afternoon of July…
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 York 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.