38 flood insurance claims·$205,900 paid·1 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 Clarke 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.
Tropical storms and flash flooding from heavy rainfall dominate the flood risk profile in Clarke County, based on NOAA storm event records from the last 30 years detailing 13 tropical storm events, 7 flash flood events, 4 flood events, and 2 hurricane events.
Recent historic impacts are documented across multiple seasonal events. For example, a slow-moving thunderstorm dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain in less than two hours on August 17, 2016, causing localized flash flooding and heavy rain damage in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Later, Tropical Storm Zeta swept rapidly across the region on October 29, 2020, producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners should pay close attention regardless of mapped zone designation. Claims have been filed across multiple zones, including 19 claims in Zone A with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $4,779, and 14 claims in Zone X with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $10,211. Additional claims occurred in Zone X_SHADED (3 claims, average water depth 1 inch, average payout $6,927), Zone V (1 claim, average water depth 1 inch, average payout $1,876), and Zone X_UNSHADED (1 claim, average water depth 0 inches, average payout $2,890).
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Clarke County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
24 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 2 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 1998, with 5 claims and $42,126 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Clarke County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 1 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 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2000 |
| Drought | Jul 20, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 4, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2016 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2016 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2015 | $3,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2009 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 4, 2023. A strong developing system over brought moist southerly winds across the north and central Georgia, creating isolated severe thunderstorms and flash flooding on the afternoon and evening of January 3rd. The severe weather threat continued into Wednesday, January 4th, as the storm progressed eastward and brought a cold front across the area, producing isolated damaging wind gusts.
Tropical Storm · Oct 29, 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.
Tropical Storm · Sep 11, 2017. On the morning of August 30th Tropical Storm Irma developed rapidly over the eastern Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Cape Verde Islands. Tropical Irma quickly strengthened as it moved west, reaching hurricane strength by the morning of August 31st. Hurricane Irma continued to move steadily westward across the Atlantic Ocean, intensifying to category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale as it approached the norther…
Flash Flood · Aug 17, 2016. The atmosphere over north Georgia was unstable and very moist due to precipitable water values approaching two inches. Nearly stationary or slow moving thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches in less than two hours over south portions of Clarke County in the evening. This caused localized flash flooding and heavy rain damage in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. These thunderstorms also produced…
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 Clarke 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.