Portsmouth city, Virginia
A shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Portsmouth city's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
96.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 299 flood losses here since 2016, 22% of them in buildings with basements. 68% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Portsmouth city
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 22.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 25.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Urban land, not rated | 17.4% |
| Mapped soil | 29,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Tomotley | 9% | n/a |
| Altavista | 6% | n/a |
| Augusta | 4% | n/a |
| State | 3% | n/a |
| Bethera | 1% | n/a |
| Nimmo | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas VA715 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
On 22% of Portsmouth city's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.57 in, 9.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.49 in.
Drought
96.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 20 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 96.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
299 flood losses since 2016, $5.6 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 239. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 22% basements, 19% slabs, 52% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 239 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 to date | 11 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 48.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.57 in (-9.92) |
| 2025 | 45.93 in (-2.56) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2016: 64.50 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1965: 28.65 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NORFOLK NAS (7 mi away) | 10.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 43,318 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 58% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $246,900 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk city, VA | 8 mi | 2% | 28% |
| Chesapeake city, VA | 13 mi | 0% | 88% |
| Hampton city, VA | 13 mi | 11% | 49% |
| Newport News city, VA | 17 mi | 8% | 32% |
| Poquoson city, VA | 19 mi | 5% | 54% |
| Suffolk city, VA | 19 mi | 6% | 79% |
| Isle of Wight County, VA | 19 mi | 7% | 73% |
| Virginia Beach city, VA | 19 mi | 0% | 65% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status