5 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 Cleburne County, Alabama. 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 floods driven by severe weather and tropical systems dominate the flood risk in Cleburne County. Over the last thirty years, NOAA records show 11 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside four tropical storm events and three tropical depression impacts.
Recent weather patterns illustrate these localized threats. On March 15, 2025, a significant severe weather event brought tornadoes, straight-line wind damage, and isolated flooding to Central Alabama. Later that year, heavy rainfall from slow-moving thunderstorms developed along the I-59 and I-20 corridors, continuing into the overnight hours of August 3, 2025. Additionally, tropical systems such as Hurricane Helene brought tropical depression-like effects to eastern Central Alabama on September 27, 2024, while Tropical Storm Zeta impacted the region on October 29, 2020.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties vulnerable to sudden, intense downpours and tropical system remnants, particularly homes located in identified flood hazard areas and those lacking established base flood elevations.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9 NOAA storm reports from Cleburne County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 8, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 29, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 11 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Tropical Depression | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 7, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2013 | — |
| Tropical Depression | Nov 9, 2009 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 15, 2025. A significant severe weather event unfolded across Central Alabama on March 15, with 15 tornadoes, several instances of straight-line wind damage, and isolated flooding. An initial round of storms during the early morning brought reports of large hail in Pickens and Walker counties, followed by an afternoon round with several strong, long-track tornadoes. Of the 15 tornadoes, five were rated EF-2 and two were EF-3…
Flash Flood · Aug 3, 2025. Slow-moving thunderstorms occurred during the afternoon of August 1. One storm dumped 2-3 of rain over a localized area of Vestavia Hills and northern Hoover in less than an hour, resulting in numerous street flooding issues along Highway 31 and nearby roadways. The next day, heavy rainfall developed along a boundary between the I-59 and I-20 corridors in northeast Central Alabama during the afternoon and evening…
Tropical Depression · Sep 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Florida Big Bend/Panhandle late on September 26. As the center of circulation passed northward through Georgia overnight and the next morning, tropical depression-like effects were felt across far eastern Central Alabama, with wind gusts of 30-40 mph bringing down trees and a few power lines in several counties.
Tropical Storm · Oct 29, 2020. Tropical cyclone Zeta developed over the Western Caribbean Sea on Saturday, October 24, and slowly moved west. The tropical storm emerged into the Southern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, October 27th. Zeta turned northwest and became a hurricane on Wednesday, October 28th. Zeta made landfall in southeast Louisiana late on Wednesday, then moved northeast into southwest Alabama late Wednesday night. The hurricane weaken…
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 Cleburne 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.