41 flood insurance claims·$1.0M 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 Marshall 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 dominates the flood risk profile in Marshall County, Alabama, accounting for 65 of the 89 total flood events recorded over the last 30 years, alongside 22 general flood events and 3 tropical storm events.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. In May 2024, a cluster of supercells and a line of thunderstorms from Tennessee merged, producing damaging winds, large hail, and blocked roads from fallen trees and utility lines. This was followed in May 2025 by training thunderstorms that produced flash flooding during the morning hours.
Homeowners and real estate professionals should pay the closest attention to properties in Zone X and Zone A, which together account for the vast majority of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims. Zone X claimants experienced an average recorded water depth of 9 inches with average payouts of $36,426, while Zone A properties averaged 4 inches of water depth with average payouts of $25,159. Properties with unknown zone designations or Zone V also recorded claims, averaging 3 inches and 1 inch of water depth, respectively.
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 8 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 10 claims and $134,154 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Marshall County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Severe Thunderstorms | Apr 12, 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 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 24, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
90 since 1996: 65 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Feb 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 4, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 6, 2021 | — · 1 killed |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2025. Training thunderstorms produced some flash flooding over portions of northeastern Alabama during the morning hours on the 28th.
Flash Flood · May 27, 2024. A cluster of supercells developed around the Midnight hour and moved east as a line of thunderstorms in Tennessee dropped southeast. The two areas merged together and continued to move southeast. The thunderstorms produced damaging winds and large hail. Particularly hard hit was Jackson County where up to 3,000 customers were left without power. Power outages also affected 1,400 in Harvest in Madison County and 90…
Flood · Feb 16, 2023. Rainfall amounts of 2.5-4 fell over the course of a few hours on the evening of February 16th. Widespread flooding occurred across portions of Cullman, Marshall, and into portions of Jackson and Dekalb Counties. Parts of I-65 were shut down, and several water rescues occurred in Cullman County that evening thanks to thunderstorms repeatedly moving across these areas in a very warm and moist airmass for mid-February.
Flash Flood · Feb 16, 2023. Rainfall amounts of 2.5-4 fell over the course of a few hours on the evening of February 16th. Widespread flooding occurred across portions of Cullman, Marshall, and into portions of Jackson and Dekalb Counties. Parts of I-65 were shut down, and several water rescues occurred in Cullman County that evening thanks to thunderstorms repeatedly moving across these areas in a very warm and moist airmass for mid-February.
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 Marshall 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.