1 flood insurance claims·$1,432 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 Irwin 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.
Standard river floods and tropical systems dominate the recorded flood history in Irwin County, Georgia, supported by 17 flood events, 8 tropical storms, 7 flash floods, and 2 hurricanes over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent severe weather events illustrate these hazards. In August 2023, Hurricane Idalia moved inland across the eastern Florida Big Bend and into South Central Georgia as a Category 3 hurricane. Later, in September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane before tracking inland. Flash flooding also occurred during multiple rounds of severe storms in May 2024 that brought large hail and damaging winds to portions of southern Georgia.
Federal flood insurance records reflect limited historical claims activity in Special Flood Hazard Areas, with FEMA data showing a single claim in Zone A carrying an average payout of $1,432 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners located within Zone A and those situated near waterways or in low-lying areas prone to rising waters from heavy rainfall and tropical systems should pay the closest attention to local flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24 NOAA storm reports from Irwin 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Mar 26, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Tropical Storm Frances | Sep 3, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 26, 2024 | $10.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Nov 10, 2022 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 5, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Mar 4, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 27, 2024. Multiple rounds of severe storms impacted portions of southern Georgia during the May 25-28 period. Large hail and damaging wind gusts were reported, along with a few reports of flash flooding.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2024. Slow moving thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding across the area.
Tropical Storm · Aug 30, 2023. Hurricane Idalia made landfall on the morning of August 30th along the coast of Taylor County Florida near Keaton Beach at approximately 745 am EDT. The hurricane made landfall with estimated sustained winds of 125 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the first major hurricane on record to make landfall in this portion of Florida. Hurricane Idalia moved inland across th…
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 Irwin 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.