9 flood insurance claims·$108,696 paid·3 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 Dade 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.
Flash flooding from severe weather and thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Dade County, GA, which recorded 19 flash flood events alongside 13 tropical storm events, 3 hurricane events, and 2 flood events over the last 30 years.
Storms producing heavy rainfall have caused rapid water level rises, such as a stalled cold front in February 2022 that caused the rapid rise of Lookout Creek in under 6 hours, and strong thunderstorms in March 2021 that dropped 2 to 3.5 inches of rain with locally higher amounts in northwest Georgia.
NFIP claim records show that property owners in both mapped risk areas and outside them have experienced flood losses. Zone X properties recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $26,464 and an average recorded water depth of 26 inches. Zone A properties recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $2,840 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should note that properties outside of traditional high-risk zones, as well as those near rapidly rising creeks like Lookout Creek, warrant close attention due to these historical averages and flash flood patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 23 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 3 claims and $19,784 paid, the year of 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Dade County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Tatum Gulf Fire | Nov 13, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 31, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2019 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 25, 2015 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Dec 25, 2015 | $800,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 23, 2022. A stalled cold front moved into northwest Georgia late on February 22, 2022. This front combined with anomalously moist and unstable conditions to produce training showers and thunderstorms that resulted in heavy rainfall over northwest Georgia. A Flood Watch was issued for north Georgia, and while widespread flash flooding was not observed, isolated river flooding occurred in Dade and Catoosa counties. The rapid…
Flash Flood · Mar 31, 2021. Strong thunderstorms ahead of a cold front produced numerous reports of flooding across portions of north Georgia and scattered reports of damaging winds across parts of north and central Georgia. Rainfall was highest over far northwest Georgia where totals ranged from 2 to 3.5 inches with locally higher amounts.
Flood · Mar 17, 2021. A deep upper-level low and associated surface cold front swept through north and central Georgia. Heavy rainfall produced a few reports of flooding in north Georgia with a severe thunderstorm producing hail the size of quarters in central Georgia.
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 Dade 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.