46 flood insurance claims·$792,486 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 Lawrence 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 slow-moving storms dominates the flood risk in Lawrence County, Alabama, accounting for the vast majority of the 69 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside single occurrences of tropical storms and depressions.
Heavy rainfall and slow-moving thunderstorms triggered flash flooding in and around Moulton, AL during an event on April 24, 2025. Historical claims data demonstrates that properties face water intrusion across multiple designations. Zone A properties account for the highest volume with 28 claims averaging a $29,001 payout with an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 8 claims averaging a $7,619 payout with an average depth of 7 inches, shaded Zone X properties logged 4 claims averaging a $10,587 payout with an average depth of 2 inches, and unshaded Zone X properties recorded 4 claims averaging a $12,692 payout with an average depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Lawrence County should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, which receives the heaviest frequency and highest average claim payouts, while recognizing that properties in Zone X designations also experience damaging water depths during severe precipitation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Lawrence County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
36 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 2015, with 7 claims and $206,468 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, 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.
20 NOAA storm reports from Lawrence 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 |
| 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.
69 since 1996: 51 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 15, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Sep 14, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 10, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Dec 29, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 24, 2025. Heavy rainfall and numerous slow-moving thunderstorms traversed portions of Northern Alabama on April 24th. A Flood Watch was in effect, and several locations in and around Moulton, AL experienced flash flooding from the heavy rainfall episode.
Flood · Sep 15, 2024. As the remains of Tropical System Francine slowly meandered through the mid South, a persistent band of showers and thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall totals over the two day period from the 13th into the 14th. Some of the heaviest rains occurred during the evening of the 13th into the morning hours of the 14th in parts of northwest and north central Alabama. Widespread rain totals of 2 to 4 inches were o…
Flood · Sep 14, 2024. As the remains of Tropical System Francine slowly meandered through the mid South, a persistent band of showers and thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall totals over the two day period from the 13th into the 14th. Some of the heaviest rains occurred during the evening of the 13th into the morning hours of the 14th in parts of northwest and north central Alabama. Widespread rain totals of 2 to 4 inches were o…
Flash Flood · Sep 14, 2024. As the remains of Tropical System Francine slowly meandered through the mid South, a persistent band of showers and thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall totals over the two day period from the 13th into the 14th. Some of the heaviest rains occurred during the evening of the 13th into the morning hours of the 14th in parts of northwest and north central Alabama. Widespread rain totals of 2 to 4 inches were o…
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 Lawrence 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.