43 flood insurance claims·$535,902 paid·3 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 Pleasants 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from slow-moving low pressure systems and frontal boundaries shape the flood risk in Pleasants County, where NOAA records show 15 flood events and 11 flash flood events over the past 30 years. Recent historical events illustrate this pattern, including a slow-moving low pressure system in May 2020 that brought saturated grounds and impassable roadways after one to four inches of rain. Additionally, waves of low pressure moving up the Ohio River Valley in February 2019 produced around two inches of rainfall and minor flooding, while a slow-moving cold front in July 2019 caused localized flash flooding.
NFIP claim records indicate that property owners in high-risk Zone A have filed the highest number of claims at 25, resulting in an average payout of $16,990 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $26,552 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches, and Zone Unknown properties recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $4,600 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents situated in designated flood zones and low-lying areas should pay the closest attention to these recurring river and flash flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Pleasants County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
25 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 14 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 2004, with 17 claims and $340,365 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides.
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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Pleasants County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 14, 2018 |
| 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 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Sep 16, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 15 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 20, 2020 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2019 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2019 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2018 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2018 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2018 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2018 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Mar 4, 2015 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 20, 2020. A slow moving low pressure system crossing through the Tennessee Valley resulted in a multiple day flooding event across portions of West Virginia. The ground was already saturated from antecedent rain earlier in the month, which resulted in roadways being inundated with water and becoming impassable for a time. Rainfall amounts from across the state ranged between one to four inches through the course of several…
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 2019. A slow moving cold front moved through the middle Ohio River Valley on the 6th and 7th. Storms along and ahead of the front produced localized damaging winds and flash flooding.
Flood · Feb 6, 2019. Several waves of low pressure at the surface moved up the Ohio River Valley on the 6th and 7th. Rainfall amounts in western West Virginia through the period totaled around 2 inches. This led to several areas of minor flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2018. Following on and off rain on the 27th, a cold front pushed through during the evening with heavy rainfall leading to flooding. A couple storms also produced wind damage, with one isolated but very strong downburst in Harrison County.
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 Pleasants 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.