3,100 flood insurance claims·$95.0M 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 Fulton 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 thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Fulton County, supported by 103 flash flood events out of 155 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside impacts from tropical systems.
Recent history underscores this vulnerability. In September 2024, Tropical Storm Helene brought widespread rainfall totals of 6 to 14 inches to north and central Georgia, with the highest amounts observed in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. Earlier, in September 2023, a severe thunderstorm over downtown Atlanta produced rainfall rates of 1 to 1.25 inches in 15 minutes and total accumulations of 2.5 to 3 inches in an hour or less, resulting in flash flooding of residential areas and landmarks.
Property owners in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas should pay the closest attention, as Zone A accounts for 1,792 NFIP claims with an average payout of $49,298 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. However, properties in moderate-to-low risk zones also face exposure, evidenced by 858 claims in Zone X averaging $23,377 with an average water depth of 13 inches, 232 claims in Zone X Unshaded averaging $25,048 with an average water depth of 5 inches, 145 claims in Zone X Shaded averaging $24,615 with an average water depth of 8 inches, and 64 claims in Zone D averaging $2,360 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Fulton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,173 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 11 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 2009, with 672 claims and $39.1M 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.
70 NOAA storm reports from Fulton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 4 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 Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 18, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Ivan | Sep 14, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
155 since 1996: 103 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2023 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2023 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2023 | $40,000 |
— = 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…
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 26, 2023. A prolonged, active weather pattern persisted across Georgia through late March, culminating in a series of disturbances that impacted the region March 25th through March 28th. In addition to numerous reports of damaging winds, hail and a few tornadoes, extreme rainfall amounts caused flash flooding over portions of the state. A swath of 4 or more inches of rain stretched from LaGrange, to Forsyth, to Augusta, wit…
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2023. Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across much of north and central GA during the afternoon and evening hours of July 21st. Numerous reports of damaging winds, along with significant flash flooding (around downtown Atlanta) occurred along the I-20 corridor. Another area impacted by damaging winds occurred from Stewart County (far SE part of the FFC forecast area) to near Swainsboro in Emanuel County.
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 Fulton 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.