41 flood insurance claims·$328,346 paid·16 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 Gadsden County, Florida. 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.
Tropical storms and flash floods dominate the flood history of Gadsden County, supported by NOAA Storm Events Database records of 16 tropical storm events resulting in 1 death, 15 flash flood events, 6 hurricane events resulting in 2 deaths, and 4 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include a major flash flood event in April 2024 that brought 6 to 10 inches of rain with localized higher amounts, causing rapid water rises, flooded structures, and millions of dollars in damage. Additionally, Hurricane Helene brought severe impacts in September 2024, producing a storm surge exceeding 15 feet above normal along the coast of Apalachee Bay as it moved inland.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones. Zone X recorded 16 claims with an average payout of $21,973 and an average recorded water depth of 35 inches. Zone A saw 12 claims with an average payout of $2,698 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X Unshaded logged 5 claims averaging a $4,713 payout and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 3 claims averaging a $20,554 payout and a 7-inch average water depth. Zone V recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $4,440 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners in Zone X with deeper average water records, as well as those in Zone A and coastal areas affected by hurricane storm surges, should pay the closest attention to flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
32% of Gadsden County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
22 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 13 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 1994, with 6 claims and $23,344 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding (tropical Storm Alberto) and Tropical Storm Alberto.
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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Gadsden County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Florida flood stories →
39 federal disaster declarations since 1985, 16 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 10, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
41 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 18, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2024. Slow moving thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding across the area.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2024. Scattered slow moving thunderstorms produced isolated instances of trees down and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Tropical Storm · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
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 Gadsden 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.