943 flood insurance claims·$25.6M paid·10 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 Greenbrier 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.
Greenbrier County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by regular flooding events alongside frequent, highly fatal flash floods. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 64 flood events and 59 flash flood events, which resulted in 16 deaths.
Severe weather events demonstrate this risk, such as the deep low pressure system on January 31, 2025, which brought a deep moisture flow and precipitable water values roughly two standard deviations above normal. FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood damage extends across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A account for the highest impact with 735 claims, an average payout of $32,023, and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 113 claims with an average payout of $40,560 and an average water depth of 15 inches. An additional 94 claims were filed in Zone UNKNOWN, averaging $16,497 with an average water depth of 5 inches, and 1 claim was recorded in Zone X_SHADED with a $0 average payout and 0 inches of water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and Zone X, where average water depths reach 14 to 15 inches and claim payouts are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Greenbrier County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
736 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 13 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 2016, with 351 claims and $14.5M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
71 NOAA storm reports from Greenbrier County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 15, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jun 22, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Apr 13, 2015 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Landslides | Mar 12, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
123 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 64 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Feb 7, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 31, 2025. A deep low pressure system moved from the Four-Corners region east across the Gulf Coast states. This resulted in deep moisture flow riding a southwesterly 50-knot low level jet from the Gulf through the central Appalachians and the upper Ohio River Valley beginning early on the morning of the 31st, with precipitable water values rapidly increasing into the 1.1 to 1.2 inch range by sunrise across most of the lower…
Flash Flood · Aug 20, 2025. A slow-moving cluster of thunderstorms passed across portions of southern Greenbrier County during the afternoon of August 20th. One thunderstorm cell passed across the Town of Ronceverte and produced rainfall rates as high as 5 inches per hour between 5:30 pm EDT and 5:40 pm EDT. The FLASH 1-hour ARI was observed as high as a 20-year event at 5:45 PM.
Flood · Feb 16, 2025. A deep upper level trough was observed exiting the southern Rockies during the morning of February 15th, with southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough allowing for a fetch of deep moisture from the western Gulf of America. This moisture pooled along a warm front situated across from Kentucky into southwest Virginia, where precipitable water values increased from 0.6 to 0.7 inches at 7 am that morning, to around…
Flood · Feb 15, 2025. A deep upper level trough was observed exiting the southern Rockies during the morning of February 15th, with southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough allowing for a fetch of deep moisture from the western Gulf of America. This moisture pooled along a warm front situated across from Kentucky into southwest Virginia, where precipitable water values increased from 0.6 to 0.7 inches at 7 am that morning, to around…
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 Greenbrier 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.