4 flood insurance claims·$52,093 paid·2 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 Franklin 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 flooding from severe weather events dominates the flood history of Franklin County. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 33 flash flood events, alongside 4 general floods, 2 tropical storms, and 1 tropical depression.
Severe storms frequently produce rapid, localized inundation, as seen during heavy rainfall events in March 2021 and August 2021. Specifically, slow-moving thunderstorms on August 19, 2021, repeatedly moved across Phil Campbell, flooding much of the city, covering bridges with feet of water, washing away several roads, and eroding portions of railroad tracks.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that historical claims are concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 4 recorded claims with an average payout of $17,364 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and low-lying areas susceptible to rapid runoff and flash flooding from intense summer thunderstorms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Franklin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 8, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 33 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 11, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 10, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 5, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 25, 2021. Clusters and line segments of heavy thunderstorms, a couple of which turned severe, overspread north Alabama during the predawn hours of the 25th. These storms produced 2 to 3 inches of rain, mainly south of the Tennessee River, resulting in excessive runoff and flash flooding. Flash flooding closed a portion of I-65 in Cullman and several other roads were flooded or washed out in Cullman County. Also, isolated l…
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2021. Thunderstorms developed around midday across portions of Northwestern Alabama. They repeatedly moved across Phil Campbell in Franklin County, flooding much of the city and washing away several roads. At one point, nearly every road in Phil Campbell was under water during this event. Several bridges were covered by FEET of water at one point, with portions of railroad tracks washing away too.
Flash Flood · Aug 26, 2020. Several rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall repeatedly moved across Franklin County late on the night of August 25th into the overnight hours of August 26th. Widespread rainfall amounts caused several roads to be closed or washed out, with a swath of 3-5 of rainfall reported in an hour or two.
Flash Flood · Feb 11, 2020. Another heavy rainfall event unfolded across the area from the 10th through the 11th, with the vast majority of the Hydrologic Service Area receiving anywhere from 2-4 inches of rainfall. Isolated reports of 5-6 inches of rainfall occurred in a few spots across the area. Due to already saturated soils in place, widespread flash flooding (at onset) and then flooding continued for much of the event, with some spots…
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 Franklin 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.