Enter any address in Russell County, Alabama to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Russell County. Recent events include significant rainfall and flooding along the Interstate 85 corridor in February 2024, and a prolonged severe weather event in April 2025 that brought widespread flooding. Tropical storm and depression impacts have also been recorded, such as the effects of Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
Homeowners in Zone A, which has seen the most NFIP claims and substantial water depths, should pay particular attention to flood risk. Properties in Zone X also experience claims with notable water depths, suggesting that residents in areas identified as Zone A or Zone X, and those without a Base Flood Elevation (BFE), should be aware of potential flood hazards.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
14 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Russell County, Alabama has recorded 30 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 21 flash floods and 2 river or area floods. The county has received 24 federal disaster declarations. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1975–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Hurricane | Sep 22, 2024 |
| Hurricane Sally | Hurricane | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Michael | Hurricane | Oct 10, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Hurricane | Sep 8, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Severe Storm | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Dec 12, 2009 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Depression | Sep 27, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 13, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 11, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 3, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2018 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Apr 6, 2025
Deep-layer ridging over the Southeast United States held up a trough over the Central United States for the first few days of April, leading to a prolonged and significant severe weather and flooding event from Texas to Ohio and West Virginia along a stalled boundary. As the ridge began to retreat eastward, a cold front slowly progressed through Central Alabama on April 6, with an all-hazards w...
Tropical Depression — Sep 27, 2024
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Florida Big Bend/Panhandle late on September 26. As the center of circulation passed northward through Georgia overnight and the next morning, tropical depression-like effects were felt across far eastern Central Alabama, with wind gusts of 30-40 mph bringing down trees and a few power lines in several counties.
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 a...
Flash Flood — Feb 11, 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 a...
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 ...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Russell County, Alabama:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Russell County, Alabama that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.