143 flood insurance claims·$1.8M 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 Jefferson 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.
Standard river flooding and general flooding dominate the historical record over flash floods in Jefferson County, accounting for 66 out of 79 recorded flood events over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences demonstrate this pattern, including a slow-moving upper-level low in May 2025 that brought localized heavy rain and a long-duration moderate rain event, as well as heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024 that resulted in river flooding and flash flooding across West Virginia.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data show that properties located in Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A experience the heaviest impact, accounting for 93 total claims with an average payout of $16,559 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. However, properties outside designated high-risk flood areas also face significant risk; unshaded Zone X properties have filed 30 claims with an average payout of $14,417 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while shaded Zone X properties recorded an average payout of $14,939 and an average water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners near designated flood zones and rivers, as well as real estate agents and buyers considering properties in unshaded Zone X areas, should pay close attention to these historical flood patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
27% of Jefferson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
127 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 4 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 76 claims and $1.2M 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Jefferson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 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 Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 18, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And | Jun 3, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
79 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 66 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 14, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Oct 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 1, 2021 | — |
— = 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.
Flood · Sep 29, 2024. The remnants of Tropical Storm Helene brought widespread heavy rain to the region that led to river flooding and flash flooding in the state of West Virginia.
Flood · Aug 9, 2024. The remnants of Debby tracked through the area Thursday night into Friday, August 8th into August 9th. Tropical moisture combined with lift from the remnants to cause heavy rain across much of Virginia. The heavy rain led to several instances of flash flooding and flooding.
Flood · Oct 1, 2024. Heavy rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene led to an extended period of river flooding that lingered into the beginning of October.
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 Jefferson 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.