140 flood insurance claims·$1.1M 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 Mason 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 historical records show that river flooding dominates Mason County, with 51 standard flood events compared to 21 flash flood events over the last 30 years. NOAA storm reports illustrate this pattern, such as an advancing low-pressure system in January 2025 that caused local creeks and streams to spill out of their banks, as well as prolonged rainfall events in February 2025 driven by approaching low-pressure systems and warm fronts that produced widespread high water issues.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims are distributed across multiple zones, with Zone A recording 56 claims with an average payout of $15,233 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Shaded Zone X accounts for 35 claims averaging $6,331 with an average water depth of 5 inches, while unshaded Zone X saw 14 claims averaging $3,511 with an average water depth of 3 inches, and standard Zone X recorded 7 claims averaging $15,568 with an average depth of 2 inches. Additionally, unknown zones registered 28 claims averaging $1,849 with an average depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and shaded Zone X should pay the most attention, as these areas experience the highest frequency of claims and substantial average payout amounts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
47% of Mason County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
105 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 3 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 1979, with 31 claims and $49,190 paid.
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.
55 NOAA storm reports from Mason County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 10, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 13, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
72 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 51 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | $150 |
| Flood | May 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 17, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 13, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2024 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 31, 2025. An advancing low pressure system set forth ample amounts of lift and moisture to round out the month of January. Widespread rainfall first entered into the southwestern coalfields of West Virginia on the morning of January 31st, and continued to invade northeastward and up into the higher terrain of the state. Local creeks and streams quickly spilled out of their banks on that day in conjunction with high water is…
Flood · May 30, 2025. A warm front lifted into the vicinity of West Virginia on the night of May 29th and remained present overhead until being ushered east by a low the evening of the 30th. Behind this system, a cold front approached from the north and slowly descended southward through the area on the 31st.||Rounds of rain and storms moved across the area on the 30th, with several severe thunderstorms downing power lines and numerous…
Flood · Feb 17, 2025. Light precipitation started to arrive on the evening of February 14th due to an approaching low pressure system, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south. This promoted a brief instance of thunderstorms on the morning of February 15th, with damaging winds knocking down trees and power lines to parts of the state. While shower coverage di…
Flood · Feb 16, 2025. Light precipitation started to arrive on the evening of February 14th due to an approaching low pressure system, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south. This promoted a brief instance of thunderstorms on the morning of February 15th, with damaging winds knocking down trees and power lines to parts of the state. While shower coverage di…
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 Mason 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.