VIMS
Center for Coastal Resources Management

Will the Property Flood in the Future?

The AdaptVA Sea-Level-Rise Viewer and the Coastal Virginia Road Accessibility and Flooding Tool are tools that use past and current data to predict sea-level-rise change and how it will affect flooding on your property down the road.

Predicted Sea-Level Rise

Sea-level rise is the rate of change in the average sea level, or the average water level between high tides and low tides. The potential for future flooding can be predicted by the amount of sea-level rise expected at any given location. 

See step-by-step instructions (pdf with pictures) or summary directions below.

  1. Go to AdaptVA Sea-Level-Rise Viewer.
  2. Put your address in the white box at the top left of the map.
  3. Click on the “Sea Level Rise/Flooding/Storm Surge” blue button at the lower left bottom of the map.
  4. Check the box next to “Sea Level Rise (mean high water)” and click on the arrow to select different scenarios ranging from low to extreme sea level rise projections.
  5. On the very bottom of the map is a time slider, drag the blue circle forward in time to see the predicted sea level change. Extreme high tides and storm surge flooding can extend further inland from typical high-water level.
Forecasted Flood Frequency

Flooding duration maps combine hours of flooding (over the past 19 years) based on tide gauge data with projected sea-level rise to forecast what to expect for future flooding in Virginia. 

See step-by-step instructions (pdf with pictures) or the summary directions below.

  1. Go to Locality Road Flood Tool
  2. At the top of the page click on your area of interest (for example Middle Peninsula).
  3. Zoom into your area of interest.
  4. On the menu on the left, click the eye next to “Flooding Duration Maps” to display the layer.  
  5. Click the arrow next to “Flooding Duration Maps” to open the options. Click on the eye next to “Projected Flooding Duration:2050” to open the layer. Make sure the other 2 options have slashes through the eyes. The different colors indicate different flooding frequencies, with darker colors meaning more time underwater each year. The light blue color covers areas that only flood during larger storm events. The medium and dark blue colors show areas that flood more frequently during unusually high tides. Click on any point of the blue layer to see the depth of the water over the land under projected sea level rise.