261 flood insurance claims·$4.2M paid·5 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 Hampshire 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.
Hampshire County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by river floods and flash floods, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 43 floods and 35 flash floods over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall events frequently drive this hazard, as demonstrated on May 13, 2025, when a slow-moving upper-level low dropped long-duration rain with rates exceeding two inches an hour, and on July 14, 2025, when moist airmasses produced short-duration rainfall totals of two to four inches. Flash flooding also occurred on June 9, 2025, from slow-moving thunderstorms producing localized rainfall amounts of two to five inches.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims concentrated heavily in Zone A, which accounts for 212 claims with an average payout of $17,564 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties in unknown zones recorded 28 claims with an average payout of $20,060 and an average water depth of 16 inches, while Zone X properties filed 21 claims with an average payout of $27,105 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and unmapped or unknown zones should pay the closest attention to this flood exposure, as these areas experience the highest frequency of insurance claims and significant average water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Hampshire County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
212 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 11 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 182 claims and $3.3M 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.
20 NOAA storm reports from Hampshire County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 28, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding And Landslides | Feb 16, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
78 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 43 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 7, 2022 | — |
— = 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 · May 13, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area. A long duration period of rain ensued, with rain rates exceeding two inches an hour during the afternoon of May 13th. The slow moving storms coupled with training led to localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across Mineral County, WV, with lesser amounts of two to four inches across the r…
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2025. Thunderstorms developed along the higher terrain before slowly drifting across portions of the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Thunderstorms produced localized rainfall amounts of two to five inches which resulted in flash 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 Hampshire 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.