11 flood insurance claims·$118,019 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 Harris 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.
Tropical storms and flash flooding drive the primary flood risks in Harris County, supported by NOAA Storm Events Database records of 14 tropical storm events, 10 flash flood events resulting in one death, 6 general flood events, and 3 hurricane events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall associated with stalled frontal boundaries and training storms commonly produces rapid inundation. For instance, a February 2022 event brought 3 to 6 inches of rain quickly over west-central Georgia, causing flash flooding. Similarly, an April 2020 event dropped 4 to 8 inches of rain as training storms moved along a warm front, resulting in widespread flash floods.
National Flood Insurance Program records
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 1 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 4 claims and $1,618 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Harris County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 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 Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Ivan | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Tropical Storm Frances | Sep 3, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 4, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2018 | $15,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2015 | $135,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 4, 2022. A highly unstable and moist atmosphere promoted heavy rainfall over portions of west central and northeast Georgia as several disturbances traversed a stalled frontal boundary. Several reports of flash flooding were relayed in the early morning hours as rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches fell quickly over west central Georgia.
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 · Apr 19, 2020. A warm front over central Georgia combined with low pressure riding along this boundary produced wind damage and enhanced rainfall over the area. ||An axis of extremely heavy rainfall set up in a zone from Columbus to Warner Robins as the result of training storms along the warm front. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches were common, resulting in flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 23, 2018. The combination of enhanced atmospheric moisture and low pressure over central Alabama produced training, slow moving storms over west central Georgia. The most significant rainfall occurred early on May 23rd as a cluster of thunderstorms drifted southeast and continued to regenerate over the greater Columbus area, producing rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches, and locally higher amounts to around 8 inches. Precipit…
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 Harris 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.