50 flood insurance claims·$737,463 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 Taylor 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.
Flash flooding from thunderstorms and localized heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Taylor County, WV, accounting for 29 out of 42 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 13 general flood events.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. On May 28, 2025, a stationary cold front following previous rainfall brought localized rainfall totals of a couple of inches to Harrison and Taylor Counties, resulting in several flooded roadways. Similarly, early morning storms on May 26, 2024, dropped over two and a half inches of rain across parts of Taylor and Harrison Counties, producing flash flooding and high water issues on local roads before a second line of thunderstorms arrived that afternoon.
Property owners in FEMA Flood Zone A should pay the closest attention, as this zone accounts for the highest claim frequency with 18 claims averaging $17,234 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Additionally, properties in Zone X and Zone X_SHADED require careful evaluation, as these areas recorded higher average payouts of $47,765 (with an average 6 inches of water depth) and $59,075 (with an average 4 inches of water depth) respectively across fewer claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Taylor County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
23 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 5 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 2008, with 7 claims and $168,105 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And.
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.
27 NOAA storm reports from Taylor County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1980, 4 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 | Jul 28, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And Landslides | Feb 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And | Jun 3, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
42 since 1996: 29 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2023 | $1,500 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2020 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2019 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2018 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 28, 2025. A low pressure system brought a warm front and then cold front into West Virginia on May 28th. The cold front became stationary and then weakened over the area later that night. While rainfall amounts for the 28th were mainly less than an inch and a half, a couple of inches fell over localized portions of Harrison and Taylor Counties. Rainfall from the previous day had also helped to saturate the ground, making f…
Flash Flood · May 26, 2024. During the early morning hours of May 26th, parts of northern West Virginia were observing flash flooding as the result thunderstorms that produced heavy downpours the previous evening. Over two and a half inches of rain fell in spots across Taylor and Harrison Counties, which led to high water issues on local roads in the county. Flooding concerns subsided just before sunrise.||Later on that afternoon on the 26th…
Flash Flood · May 24, 2024. An upper level disturbance and stationary front at the surface provided a focus for rounds of showers and storms on May 24th. Locally heavy rain fell across portions of West Virginia, which had already been saturated by rounds of rain the previous day. Pockets of rain totaling between one and a half to three inches accrued across portions of Kanawha and Logan Counties and resulted in flash flooding on a few roadwa…
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2023. After major flash flooding took place across parts of the state the day before, additional flash flooding occurred on the afternoon of August 29th in Harrison County. Showers and a few embedded thunderstorms passed through parts of north central West Virginia as sufficient tropical moisture festered over the area. This led to locally very heavy rainfall in parts of Harrison and Taylor Counties. ||Harrison County f…
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 Taylor 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.