3,174 flood insurance claims·$68.4M paid·18 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 Walton 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.
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall and summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Walton County, supported by decades of NOAA storm records. Over the last 30 years, the area has experienced 84 flash flood events and 58 general flood events, alongside tropical storms, storm surges, and hurricanes. Recent occurrences include flash flooding driven by heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Francine in September 2024, as well as slow-moving summer thunderstorms that produced flash flooding in July 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with significant totals outside of traditional high-risk areas. Zone X accounts for 1,308 claims with an average payout of $39,763 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone A includes 899 claims with an average payout of $26,035 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches, while Zone V records 405 claims averaging $39,399 with an average water depth of 9 inches. Unshaded Zone X recorded 457 claims with an average payout of $41,127 and an average water depth of 8 inches, and shaded Zone X recorded 100 claims averaging $49,106 with an average water depth of 7 inches.
Homeowners in both designated high-risk coastal and riverine areas and moderate-to-low risk zones should pay close attention to these patterns, as historical claims data demonstrate that properties outside primary flood zones frequently sustain water damage.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
30% of Walton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,861 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 9 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 1995, with 953 claims and $23.1M paid, the year of Hurricane Erin and Hurricane Opal.
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.
86 NOAA storm reports from Walton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Florida flood stories →
42 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 18 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 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 23, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Ian | Sep 23, 2022 |
| Tropical Storm Fred | Aug 13, 2021 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
192 since 1996: 84 flash floods, 58 river or area floods and 11 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2023 | $250,000 |
| Flood | Aug 5, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 16, 2021 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2024. Slow moving thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding across the area.
Flash Flood · Sep 13, 2024. Several showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the remnants of Hurricane Francine and a stalled frontal boundary. Several areas of rotation were detected, but no tornado touchdowns were reported. There was one report of a tree down in Walton county. In addition, heavy rainfall led to areas of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 12, 2024. Several showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the remnants of Hurricane Francine and a stalled frontal boundary. Several areas of rotation were detected, but no tornado touchdowns were reported. There was one report of a tree down in Walton county. In addition, heavy rainfall led to areas of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2023. A typical summer pattern persisted with scattered thunderstorms across the area with a few reports of severe weather. In addition, weak steering flow resulted in some slow moving storms with reports of flash flooding, particularly in Jackson and Walton counties.
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 Walton 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.