11 flood insurance claims·$169,535 paid·3 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 Marion 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 heavy rainfall and thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Marion County, Alabama. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 29 flash flood events, alongside two tropical storms, two general floods, and one tropical depression.
Recent events illustrate this pattern. On July 28, 2024, a deep moisture profile and high instantaneous rain rates of 5 to 7 inches per hour caused sporadic flooding during the early afternoon. Earlier, on February 23, 2022, a line of thunderstorms ahead of a slow-moving cold front produced 2 to 3 inches of rainfall over a several-hour period. Additional heavy rain events occurred on March 31, 2021, and February 10, 2020, bringing widespread rainfall totals averaging 2 to 4 inches.
NFIP claims data shows that property owners across multiple zones experience flood impacts. Residents in Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A should pay the close attention, as historical claims in this zone recorded an average water depth of 76 inches and an average payout of $17,763. Additionally, properties located in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas experience significant water accumulation, with recorded average water depths ranging from 3 to 49 inches and average payouts exceeding $14,000 to $19,000 per claim.
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 43 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 4 claims and $89,958 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Marion County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 19, 2019 |
| 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.
34 since 1996: 29 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 31, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 10, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 25, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2024. A deep moisture profile and an increase of deep-layer shear over Central Alabama on July 28 resulted in very efficient rainfall occurring over central and northern parts of the region. Precipitable water values of 2.1 to 2.2 inches aided high instantaneous rain rates, at times on the order of 5-7 in/hr. Sporadic flooding occurred in Marion County during the early afternoon as two rounds of heavy rainfall moved thr…
Flash Flood · Feb 23, 2022. A line of thunderstorms ahead of a slow moving cold front produced periods of heavy rainfall over a several period over the northwest portions of central Alabama. Rainfall totals averaged 2-3 inches.
Flash Flood · Mar 31, 2021. A warm front moved pushed northward into north Central Alabama late on March 30th and into the early morning hours on March 31st. A low pressure area developed along the warm front and tracked from west to east across northern Alabama. This feature pooled instability just south of the front and added just enough shear for some rotating and organized storms. Subsequently, three weak and short-lived tornadoes devel…
Flash Flood · Feb 10, 2020. Anomalously high PWAT's with values above 1.5 inches and deep southwest flow combined to produce favorable conditions for heavy rainfall across north Alabama. The likelihood of training cells prompted WPC to issue a high risk for excessive rainfall for February 10th. Rainfall totals averaged 2-4 inches across north Alabama with some locations along the|I-20 corridor around 5 inches.
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 Marion 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.