5 flood insurance claims·$55,962 paid·5 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 Macon 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 severe storm systems and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Macon County, Alabama, accounting for 13 of the 20 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside tropical systems and general floods. Slow-moving storm systems and stalled fronts can produce intense rainfall totals over short periods, such as a February 2022 event that dropped 4 to 6 inches of rain in three hours along the Interstate 85 corridor. Another slow-moving system in February 2024 brought up to 8 inches of rain across parts of Macon, Lee, and Russell counties, resulting in repeated flooding along the same interstate corridor.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk impacts properties across multiple zones. Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $13,584 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $31,549 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $10,830 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents in areas prone to flash flooding, particularly near the Interstate 85 corridor and within designated Zone A, should pay the closest attention to these hazards.
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 2 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 2023, with 1 claims and $31,549 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes.
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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Macon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Mar 24, 2023 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 5, 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 3, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 24, 2015 | — |
| Tropical Depression | Nov 9, 2009 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 13, 2024. A slow-moving storm system brought several inches of rainfall to most of Central Alabama from early morning on February 11 through the evening of February 12. While most areas saw at least 1-2 inches of rain, parts of southern and southeastern Central Alabama recorded as much as 8 inches, especially across parts of Lee, Macon, and Russell counties. Waves of heavy rainfall resulted in flooding along the Interstate…
Flash Flood · Feb 12, 2024. A slow-moving storm system brought several inches of rainfall to most of Central Alabama from early morning on February 11 through the evening of February 12. While most areas saw at least 1-2 inches of rain, parts of southern and southeastern Central Alabama recorded as much as 8 inches, especially across parts of Lee, Macon, and Russell counties. Waves of heavy rainfall resulted in flooding along the Interstate…
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2023. An closed upper low moving through a southern jet stream produced several waves of strong to severe thunderstorms over Central Alabama.
Flash Flood · Sep 11, 2022. A cluster of nearly stationary thunderstorms developed along the Interstate 85 corridor and produced localized flooding in western Macon County.
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 Macon 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.