155 flood insurance claims·$3.8M paid·2 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 Bibb County, Georgia. 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.
Bibb County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by tropical systems and general flooding events, with NOAA records detailing 16 tropical storms, 14 floods, 7 flash floods, and 2 hurricanes over the last 30 years.
Recent weather history underscores these hazards. In September 2024, Tropical Storm Helene brought wind gusts of 50 to 100 mph and widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches across the region. Earlier, a prolonged active weather pattern in March 2023 produced extreme rainfall totals exceeding 4 inches—with isolated amounts above 10 inches—causing flash flooding, while a slow-moving cold front resulted in isolated flash flooding in the Macon area in April 2020.
NFIP claims data shows that historical payouts are not restricted to designated high-risk flood areas. Zone X recorded 76 claims with an average payout of $35,791 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches, while Zone A recorded 58 claims with an average payout of $34,228 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED logged 13 claims averaging $29,097 with a 3-inch average water depth, Zone X_SHADED recorded 5 claims averaging $17,209 with a 3-inch average water depth, and Zone UNKNOWN logged 3 claims averaging $18,820 with a 3-inch average water depth. Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated special flood hazard areas and moderate-to-low risk zones should pay close attention to these historical impacts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Bibb County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
76 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 11 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 33 claims and $1.5M paid.
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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Bibb County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | May 11, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Tropical Storm Frances | Sep 3, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 27, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida at 11 PM EDT. Helene moved quickly inland bringing wind gusts between 50 and 100 mph to portions of east and central Georgia. Widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches were observed in association with Helene across north and central Georgia. The highest rainfall amounts were primarily observed in portions of east-c…
Flash Flood · Mar 27, 2023. A prolonged, active weather pattern persisted across Georgia through late March, culminating in a series of disturbances that impacted the region March 25th through March 28th. In addition to numerous reports of damaging winds, hail and a few tornadoes, extreme rainfall amounts caused flash flooding over portions of the state. A swath of 4 or more inches of rain stretched from LaGrange, to Forsyth, to Augusta, wit…
Flash Flood · Apr 29, 2020. A cold front moved through north and central Georgia through the afternoon of April 29th and into the early morning hours of April 30th. Isolated severe storms produced wind damage in the eastern metro Atlanta area. An enhanced band of rain set up over portions of central and eastern Georgia in the late evening and overnight hours, resulting in isolated flash flooding in the Macon area.
Tropical Storm · Oct 28, 2020. During the late evening of October 28th through the morning of October 29th, Tropical Storm Zeta swept rapidly across north Georgia producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding across north and portions of central Georgia. Around 1.5 million customers lost electricity for some period of time, some for several days.
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 Bibb 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.