312 flood insurance claims·$4.9M paid·4 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 Berkeley County, West 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.
Long-term NOAA data indicates that standard floods dominate the risk profile in Berkeley County, accounting for 100 out of 125 recorded flood events over the past 30 years, while flash floods comprise the remaining 25 events. Slow-moving weather systems and low-pressure tracks frequently bring extended periods of moderate rain to the area, as seen during events in May 2025 and January 2024, when Gulf moisture and strong low-level jets produced widespread minor flooding and localized heavy rainfall.
Federal insurance records show that properties in high-risk Zone A experience the heaviest financial and physical impacts, logging 190 claims with an average payout of $20,849 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Homes categorized under Zone UNKNOWN and Zone X also face notable exposure, recording 79 and 41 claims respectively. Zone X claimants averaged an average water depth of 11 inches and an average payout of $13,903, while Zone UNKNOWN claimants averaged 5 inches of water and a $12,675 payout. Properties within Zone X_SHADED recorded minimal impact with only 2 claims.
Homeowners and real estate professionals working with properties located in FEMA Zone A, as well as unmapped or moderate-risk Zone X areas, should pay the closest attention to flood risk given the documented history of property damage and standing water depths across these zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
1% of Berkeley County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
192 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 9 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 1996, with 154 claims and $2.7M paid, the year of Flooding and Hurricane Fran and Associated Heavy Rains,flooding Highwind.
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.
51 NOAA storm reports from Berkeley County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Sep 16, 2004 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
125 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 100 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 28, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 14, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area bringing localized heavy rain and a long duration moderate rain event.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2025. Another day of an anomalously moist airmass produced numerous showers and thunderstorms across West Virginia. This resulted in localized rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches in a short period of time, which resulted in instances of flooding and flash flooding.
Flood · Jan 28, 2024. An area of low pressure moved by to the south during the early morning hours of January 29th bringing a widespread inch and a half to two inches of rain. This resulted in some rivers rising into Minor Flood Stage and several streams overflowing their banks.
Flood · Jan 10, 2024. An area of low pressure tracked through the Ohio River Valley and up through the Great Lakes Region. A strong low level jet enhanced moisture flow into the low pressure system leading to an extended period of moderate rain that caused widespread minor flooding with isolated moderate flooding.
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 Berkeley 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.