111 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·4 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 Greene 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 driven by summer thunderstorms and tropical systems dominates the flood character of Greene County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records document 9 flash flood events, 4 general flood events, 2 tropical storm events, and 2 tropical depression events. Specific documented occurrences include slow-moving thunderstorms that produced flash flooding in September 2009, and heavy rainfall from the remnants of Sub-tropical Storm Alberto in May 2018.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones with distinct average water depths and payout amounts. Zone A experienced 67 claims with an average payout of $15,154 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties with unknown zones recorded 35 claims averaging a $5,521 payout and an average water depth of 3 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties filed 5 claims averaging $4,855 with an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X properties logged 4 claims averaging $9,266 with an average water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and areas with unknown flood zone designations, as these zones account for the vast majority of historical insurance claims and water depths in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Greene County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
72 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 4 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.
The worst year was 1991, with 37 claims and $190,217 paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
8 NOAA storm reports from Greene County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jan 12, 2023 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Hurricane Nate | Oct 6, 2017 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 8, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 27, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
17 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2009 | $20,000 |
| Tropical Depression | Nov 9, 2009 | $1,000 |
| Tropical Depression | Aug 23, 2008 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 29, 2005 | $1.8M |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2005 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2005 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 30, 2018. Sub-tropical storm Alberto made landfall in the western Florida Panhandle Monday evening, Monday May 28th. The cyclone advanced northward into Central Alabama during the overnight hours and into Tuesday, May 29th. It was downgraded to a depression as it entered the southern counties of Central Alabama. The depression produced sustained winds of 25-35 mph across Central Alabama along with heavy rainfall. The dura…
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2011. A tropical depression developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, September 1 and strengthened as it remained nearly stationary becoming Tropical Storm Lee Friday afternoon, September 2. Tropical Storm Lee slowly moved northward toward the central Louisiana coast, eventually making landfall Sunday, September 4 near Vermillion Bay, LA, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 45 mph. Rain bands spread northward into…
Flash Flood · Sep 21, 2009. A warm and unstable air mass led to the development of slow moving thunderstorms. Many of the storms produced flash flooding, and a few produced large hail.
Tropical Depression · Nov 9, 2009. The remnants of what was at one time Hurricane Ida brought very heavy rain and gusty winds to a large portion of Central Alabama.
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 Greene 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.