66 flood insurance claims·$928,252 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 Forsyth 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 system impacts from severe weather events dominate the flood profile of Forsyth County, supported by 22 flash flood events and 14 tropical storm events recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent weather events illustrate these risks. In February 2020, a line of thunderstorms produced 1.5 to 6 inches of rainfall, causing flash flooding across north and central Georgia. Later, in September 2024, Hurricane Helene brought widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches to north and central Georgia due to prolonged heavy rain.
Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that homeowners in both mapped high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas experience financial impacts. Zone X accounts for 50 claims with an average payout of $16,266 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Zone A accounts for 14 claims with an average payout of $59,025 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone UNKNOWN records 2 claims averaging $11,452 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents working with properties in mapped special flood hazard areas, as well as properties susceptible to surface water accumulation during intense rainfall, should pay the most attention to these historical claim patterns and flood risks.
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 9 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 2013, with 14 claims and $161,746 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Forsyth County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 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 |
| Tropical Storm Zeta | Oct 29, 2020 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Ivan | Sep 14, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
50 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 12, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $100,000 · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2015 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2015 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2013 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida at 11 PM EDT. Helene moved quickly inland bringing wind gusts between 50 and 100 mph to portions of east and central Georgia. Widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches were observed in association with Helene across north and central Georgia. The highest rainfall amounts were primarily observed in portions of east-c…
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. A line of thunderstorms ahead of a strong cold front moved into northwest Georgia in the pre-dawn hours and swept across north and central Georgia through the morning into the afternoon producing numerous reports of damaging thunderstorm winds and an isolated tornado. Storms along the front also produced heavy rainfall, ranging from 1.5 to 4 inches, with higher amounts up to 6 inches, particularly over north Georg…
Flash Flood · Nov 12, 2018. A series of weak surface low systems traversed the area, producing periods of heavy rain over north Georgia late on November 11th through November 12th. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches occurred, combining with the already saturated soils to produce isolated flash flooding in portions of the north Atlanta metropolitan area.
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 Forsyth 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.