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 Pike 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 and tropical systems dominate the flood risk profile in Pike County, accounting for 14 flash flood events, 5 tropical storms, and 2 tropical depressions over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Major regional tropical systems frequently bring heavy rainfall and tropical storm-force winds inland from Gulf Coast landfalls. For instance, Hurricane Sally brought 4 to 8 inches of rain with localized amounts near 12 inches in September 2020. Similarly, Tropical Storm Zeta tracked through the region in October 2020 after making landfall in Louisiana, and Hurricane Michael brought heavy rainfall and wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph to the area in October 2018. Hurricane Irma also impacted the region with steady rains and gusty winds in September 2017.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in designated flood zones, particularly homes without established Base Flood Elevations and those situated near low-lying areas, small streams, and locations vulnerable to intense rainfall accumulation from inland-moving tropical weather systems.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5 NOAA storm reports from Pike County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Alabama flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 19, 2020 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 10, 2018 |
| 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.
21 since 1996: 14 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 24, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Oct 28, 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 · Sep 16, 2020. Hurricane Sally made landfall early Wednesday morning on September 16, near Gulf Shores, Alabama. Sally weakened quickly after moving inland and tracked northeast across southeast Alabama during the overnight hours on Wednesday, September 16th, and the morning hours on Thursday, September 17th.||The main impacts for Central Alabama were felt along and south of Interstate 85, where 4-8 inches of rain fell, with loc…
Tropical Storm · Oct 10, 2018. The center of Tropical Cyclone Michael come ashore as a high end category four hurricane just east of Panama City, Florida, during the early afternoon on Wednesday, October 10th. The southeast portions of Central Alabama were under a Tropical Storm warning and experienced heavy rainfall and wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph.
Tropical Storm · Sep 11, 2017. Hurricane Irma made landfall on the west coast of the Florida peninsula on September 10th. The hurricane tracked northward across Florida and weakened into a tropical storm on September 11th as it moved into southwest Georgia Tropical Storm Warnings were in effect for east central Alabama as Tropical Storm Irma approached east Alabama. Steady rains overspread the region by early morning, with breezy and gusty win…
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 Pike 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.