163 flood insurance claims·$1.9M 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 Fayette 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 and tropical systems dominate the flood risk profile in Fayette County, supported by 14 flash flood events, 13 tropical storm events, 10 general floods, and 3 hurricanes recorded over the last 30 years. Notable recent events include Tropical Storm Zeta, which swept rapidly across north Georgia producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding during the late evening of October 28 through the morning of October 29, 2020. Additionally, deep moisture and heavy rainfall from a low pressure system produced widespread showers and isolated flash flooding on June 8, 2019, while an intense mid-level shortwave brought heavy rain and flash flooding on December 30, 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones. Zone X accounts for 81 claims with an average payout of $17,733 and an average recorded water depth of 23 inches. Zone A accounts for 69 claims with an average payout of $16,234 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Zone X_SHADED accounts for 10 claims with an average payout of $38,715 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED has 3 claims with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone X and Zone A should pay the closest attention to these flood risks, as these areas have experienced the highest volume of insurance claims and significant recorded water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
16% of Fayette County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
82 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 14 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 2005, with 32 claims and $628,219 paid, the year of Hurricane Katrina Evacuation.
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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Fayette County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
14 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 Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Opal | Oct 4, 1995 |
| Tornadoes, Flooding Torrential Rain(trop Storm Alberto) | Jul 3, 1994 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2015 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 24, 2015 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2013 | $6,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2011 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Dec 30, 2021. Within an unseasonably warm and moist low-level environment, a strong southwest upper level flow with an intense mid-level shortwave ejecting across the Central Plains/Midwest regions resulted in a line of strong to severe thunderstorms (along with heavy rain) across north Georgia during the evening and overnight hours of 29-30 December 2021. The remnant boundary/front settled over central Georgia during the after…
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 · Jun 8, 2019. Deep moisture associated with a low pressure system produced widespread showers and thunderstorms over north and central Georgia on June 8. Widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches were common along and just north of the I-20 corridor, with isolated higher amounts to 6.5 inches. These heavy rainfall amounts, combined with already wet conditions, produced isolated flash flooding.
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…
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 Fayette 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.