1,255 flood insurance claims·$28.4M paid·4 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 Dougherty 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Dougherty County, supported by 48 flash flood events, 18 general flood events, nine tropical storms, and two hurricanes recorded over the last 30 years.
Recent events illustrate these hazards, including a slow-moving thunderstorm that developed over Albany on July 2, 2025, producing heavy rainfall and flash flooding on several roads. A moist airmass and weak steering flow also caused flash flooding across southwest Georgia on August 22, 2025.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims with 1,090 filings, an average payout of $27,070, and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X, Zone D, and Zone X_UNSHADED also require attention, having recorded smaller numbers of claims with average water depths ranging from 5 to 10 inches and average payouts between $22,026 and $35,822.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Dougherty County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,152 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 13 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 540 claims and $21.1M 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.
53 NOAA storm reports from Dougherty County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jan 21, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jan 2, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Mar 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Mar 1, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
77 since 1996: 48 flash floods and 18 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2025. Scattered afternoon thunderstorms developed in a summertime airmass with an isolated severe storm occurring in Thomas county with impacts to trees and power lines. In addition, a very moist airmass and weak steering flow led to flash flooding across portions of southwest Georgia.
Flash Flood · Jul 2, 2025. An isolated, slow moving thunderstorm developed over Albany with heavy rainfall in a short period of time. This led to flash flooding on several roads in the city.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Tropical Storm · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
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 Dougherty 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.