11 flood insurance claims·$126,452 paid·6 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 Lowndes 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 stalled storm systems and heavy rainfall dominates the flood history of Lowndes County, supported by 16 recorded flash flood events alongside impacts from tropical systems over the last 30 years.
Recorded historical events illustrate this risk. On February 3, 2022, a stalled line of storms produced heavy rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches over a three-hour period, resulting in flash flooding. A stationary upper-level system also caused extensive flash flooding during the evening of October 6, 2021. Tropical systems, such as Tropical Storm Zeta in October 2020, have additionally impacted the area.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the closest attention to properties located within FEMA flood zones, particularly Zone A, which accounts for the majority of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims with an average payout of $20,708 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Properties in Zone X, which recorded claims with an average payout of $2,641 and an average water depth of 99 inches, as well as unshaded Zone X and unknown zones, also carry documented flood risks that require careful evaluation.
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 21 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 1990, with 6 claims and $103,538 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Lowndes County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Hurricane Zeta | Oct 28, 2020 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Hurricane Nate | Oct 6, 2017 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 3, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 23, 2012 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 4, 2012 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2011 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 3, 2022. A slow moving cold front moved through Central Alabama during the afternoon and overnight hours on February 3-4. A supercell thunderstorm developed in far eastern Mississippi and produced three EF2 tornadoes as it moved across west Alabama. Additional storms produced 2 EF0 tornadoes in Elmore County. A line of storms stalled along and south of the Interstate 85 corridor, resulting in a period of heavy rainfall an…
Flash Flood · Oct 4, 2021. An upper level trough just west of the Mississippi River on October 3rd become stationary and evolved into a closed upper low by October 5th. The closed upper low remained nearly stationary for 48 hours and before finally lifting northward on October 7th. This system brought a variety of severe weather across Central Alabama over a five day period, including wind damage, large hail and extensive flash flooding. Th…
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…
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2017. As Tropical Cyclone Cindy moved onshore along the Texas and Louisiana state line, feeder bands on the east side of Cindy developed over central Alabama. The feeder bands produced several modes of severe weather, including tornadoes, straight line winds, and flash flooding.
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 Lowndes 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.