92 flood insurance claims·$850,397 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 Fannin 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 driven by summer thunderstorms and tropical systems dominates the flood history of Fannin County, accounting for 22 flash flood events out of 39 total recorded flooding events over the last 30 years.
Severe weather events have frequently triggered heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding across the region, including significant flash flood episodes in February 2020, March 2021, and August 2023 associated with tropical moisture from Hurricane Idalia. During the March 2021 event, widespread rainfall totals of 2.5 to 6 inches—with up to 8 inches observed locally—produced numerous flooding reports.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties in high-risk Zone A have filed the majority of claims at 74, with an average payout of $12,825 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 17 claims with an average payout of $11,828 and an average water depth of 15 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with a $30,734 average payout and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in designated Zone A and Zone X areas should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
1% of Fannin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
75 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 7 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 2015, with 28 claims and $255,916 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Fannin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Mar 25, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Zeta | Oct 29, 2020 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 25, 2021 | $40,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | $30,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 24, 2015 | $234,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2014 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2023. Thunderstorms formed along a stationary boundary located draped across west-central and northwest GA on the 28th and 29th. Significant tropical moisture ahead of Hurricane Idalia led to several thunderstorms becoming strong to severe. The main hazards included damaging winds and torrential rainfall.
Flash Flood · Mar 25, 2021. A very moist and moderately unstable airmass over the region combined with strong shear and persistent southwesterly mid and upper flow produced numerous showers and thunderstorms across north and parts of central Georgia through the day on the 25th into the morning of the 26th. Numerous reports of flooding were received with several reports of severe thunderstorms and a few isolated tornadoes. Rainfall amounts of…
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.
Flash Flood · Feb 6, 2020. Prolonged heavy rain continued through early February, with another round of enhanced rainfall impacting the area February 10th and 11th. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches fell over north Georgia, compounding the 3 to 6 inches that occurred the week prior. Widespread flash and river flooding developed over the area, with numerous reports received from the Emergency Management community and the public.
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 Fannin 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.