Enter any address in Appling County, Georgia to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the most frequent flood event in Appling County, GA, with 21 such events recorded in the last 30 years, including tropical storms and hurricanes. Recent examples include flash flooding on May 11, 2025, caused by a stationary front, and June 14, 2025, triggered by strong thunderstorms. Hurricane Helene also impacted the area on September 27, 2024, bringing wind damage, and Hurricane Debby on August 4, 2024, caused widespread inland flooding.
NFIP claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced an average of 1.5 feet of water depth with payouts averaging $14,645. Zone X, however, has seen significantly higher water depths averaging 13.9 feet, with average payouts of $28,873, though only one claim was recorded in Zone X_UNSHADED. Homeowners in areas prone to flash flooding, as well as those in Zone A and Zone X, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
8 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Appling County, Georgia has recorded 22 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 6 flash floods and 8 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 1 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1977–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Hurricane | Aug 30, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Michael | Hurricane | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Hurricane | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Tornado | Jan 21, 2017 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Hurricane | Oct 4, 2016 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 11, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 27, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 1, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Dec 2, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 6, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2016 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jun 14, 2025
Southwest steering flow over a moist and diurnally unstable airmass triggered a few strong thunderstorms along inland progressing sea breezes.
Flash Flood — May 11, 2025
A stationary front meandering across the area combined with diurnal heating and good upper-level divergence promoted localized flash flooding potential.
Hurricane (Typhoon) — Sep 27, 2024
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a category 4 with peak winds of near 140 mph in the Florida Big |Bend just east of the Aucilla River Entrance in Taylor County, late Thursday evening September 26, |2024. Helene's main impact to southeast Georgia and northeast Florida was wind damage as it |tracked quickly north-northeast. The very powerful hurricane and the forward motion produced a |wide swa...
Tropical Storm — Aug 4, 2024
Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 storm along the FL Big Bend coast during the early morning of August 5, 2024. Prior to landfall, outer convective bands produced tornadoes across portions of northeast Florida on August 4th. Widespread flooding moved inland with Debby across the Suwannee River Valley and inland Southeast Georgia where flash flooding and moderate to major river flood...
Flash Flood — Aug 30, 2023
Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning August 30th around 745 AM EDT along the|Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach as a category 3, with the inner core moving NE across the|Suwannee River Valley. The inner wind core of Idalia gradually weakened through the morning while,|heavily impacting Suwannee and Hamilton counties in NE Florida and Echols county SE Georgia as the|circulation track...
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 Appling County, Georgia:
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 Appling County, Georgia 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.