2,884 flood insurance claims·$47.3M paid·8 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 Jefferson 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 thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates Jefferson County's flood history, accounting for 143 recorded events and 2 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 15 general floods, 4 tropical storms, and 3 tropical depressions.
Recent weather data illustrates these recurring hazards. In February 2025, a stalled warm front dropped 3 to 4 inches of rainfall over the Birmingham area, causing overnight minor flooding. Slow-moving thunderstorms on April 6, 2025, produced an all-hazards event with significant flooding from early morning to late afternoon.
National Flood Insurance Program records show significant risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 1,676 claims with an average payout of $20,798 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 632 claims with an average payout of $30,638 and an average water depth of 9 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals in both designated high-risk zones and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to these localized flood hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Jefferson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,842 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 6 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 2003, with 311 claims and $7.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
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.
49 NOAA storm reports from Jefferson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
39 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Oct 6, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Mar 25, 2021 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Hurricane Nate | Oct 6, 2017 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 8, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jan 22, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
165 since 1996: 143 flash floods and 15 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2025. Thunderstorms from a sea breeze moving northward from the Gulf Coast reached Central Alabama during the overnight and early morning hours of June 26. A microburst occurred in Talladega County, with tree damage reported. During the evening of June 27, thunderstorm activity moved northeastward across Jefferson County, causing wind damage and flooding in Homewood, Irondale, and Trussville, along with a report of hail…
Flash Flood · Aug 20, 2025. A strong thunderstorm line segment moved south from DeKalb County into Cherokee County during the late afternoon of August 20, producing scattered instances of wind damage across the county, including around Centre, Leesburg, Sand Rock, Cedar Bluff, and Broomtown. Single trees fell onto homes in a couple instances, causing damage. Approximately 2600 power outages were reported to Cherokee Electric. Additionally, a…
Flash Flood · May 18, 2025. A cluster of severe thunderstorms developed over south central Arkansas late on May 17 and moved east-southeastward into Central Alabama, arriving shortly after 5 AM CDT. A small MCS feature intensified quickly as it crossed the Mississippi state line into Pickens County. The system moved through Tuscaloosa County, just north of the city of Tuscaloosa, where up to 90 to 100 mph winds resulted in widespread wind da…
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. Diurnal convection over Central Alabama during the afternoons of June 16 and 17 led to several instances of wind damage. One storm in particular caused fairly widespread tree damage across Anniston, Oxford, and Weaver in Calhoun County, with some trees falling on homes, vehicles, or power lines. More afternoon thunderstorms lingered over the Birmingham metro on June 18, causing minor flooding of several area roadw…
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 Jefferson 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.