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Floods in North Carolina

Property owners in North Carolina have filed 108,748 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $2.3 billion paid.

  • 108,748flood insurance claims since 1978
  • $2.3Bpaid on those claims
  • 2018most claims in one year, 16,501
  • 6thamong the states for claims
2025
  • Floods on record, by year

Over time

Flood insurance claims in North Carolina per year 1978: 174 1979: 443 1980: 148 1981: 148 1982: 325 1983: 381 1984: 488 1985: 543 1986: 318 1987: 762 1988: 117 1989: 2,095 1990: 218 1991: 1,050 1992: 418 1993: 3,128 1994: 582 1995: 829 1996: 12,793 1997: 508 1998: 5,151 1999: 16,158 2000: 309 2001: 231 2002: 281 2003: 7,255 2004: 2,327 2005: 2,009 2006: 1,392 2007: 100 2008: 814 2009: 821 2010: 1,446 2011: 9,588 2012: 992 2013: 547 2014: 654 2015: 796 2016: 6,710 2017: 272 2018: 16,501 16,501 2019: 1,769 2020: 1,821 2021: 484 2022: 377 2023: 317 2024: 3,341 2025: 698 1978198319881993199820032008201320182023

The deadliest floods since 1996

Notable events
Sep 25, 2024Flash FloodAlexander, Avery, Buncombe83$1.7 billion
Sep 15, 1999Flash FloodCumberland, Edgecombe, Franklin19—
Oct 8, 2016FloodAlamance, Anson, Chatham16$692 million
Sep 13, 2018FloodBeaufort, Carteret, Craven8$389 million
Nov 12, 2020Flash FloodAlexander, Burke, Cabarrus7$2.5 million
Oct 8, 2016Flash FloodBeaufort, Carteret, Craven7—
Aug 17, 2021Flash FloodAvery, Buncombe, Burke6$207 million
Oct 8, 2016Flash FloodBladen, Brunswick, Columbus6$110 million
Jul 6, 2025Flash FloodAlamance, Chatham, Durham6$38.1 million
Sep 27, 2010FloodBeaufort, Carteret, Craven5$2.7 million
Jun 16, 2003Flash FloodAnson, Cumberland, Montgomery5—
Sep 16, 2004FloodHaywood3$15.0 million
Jul 23, 1997Flash FloodCabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg3$11.6 million
Sep 16, 2004FloodBuncombe2$50.0 million

Every county

Counties with any recorded events, highest first.

Floods by county in North Carolina
Dare County18,950
New Hanover County11,183
Brunswick County9,879
Beaufort County9,462
Carteret County8,997
Craven County6,126
Pender County5,889
Onslow County4,432
Pamlico County4,330
Mecklenburg County2,883
Currituck County2,007
Hyde County1,734
Wake County1,642
Robeson County1,430
Pitt County1,205
Wayne County1,193
Buncombe County1,192
Lenoir County835
Cumberland County827
Edgecombe County795
Nash County735
Haywood County733
Columbus County712
Guilford County680
Tyrrell County588
Orange County568
Duplin County542
Pasquotank County531
Wilson County498
Watauga County463
Durham County443
Henderson County442
Forsyth County440
Bertie County423
Johnston County313
Avery County288
Camden County285
Chowan County282
Cabarrus County241
Catawba County210
Jones County205
Bladen County195
Ashe County183
Alamance County168
Perquimans County160
Hertford County159
Washington County157
Moore County154
Transylvania County153
Sampson County148
Yancey County146
Burke County131
Rutherford County117
Harnett County116
McDowell County111
Madison County110
Rockingham County108
Gaston County105
Davidson County103
Jackson County97
Caldwell County85
Greene County82
Union County81
Polk County79
Macon County79
Surry County72
Stanly County66
Rowan County65
Randolph County65
Lee County63
Iredell County60
Cherokee County56
Swain County56
Halifax County54
Cleveland County54
Mitchell County50
Martin County42
Chatham County41
Hoke County39
Clay County35
Wilkes County34
Northampton County34
Gates County26
Richmond County25
Franklin County23
Scotland County20
Stokes County18
Lincoln County15
Granville County15
Alleghany County13
Davie County12
Vance County12
Person County9
Graham County7
Montgomery County6
Yadkin County6
Alexander County6
Anson County4
Warren County4
Caswell County1

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency’s website(s).