7 flood insurance claims·$65,723 paid·3 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 Jackson 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 driven by severe storm systems and tropical systems dominates the flood character of Jackson County. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 16 flash flood events, 13 tropical storm events, 2 hurricanes, and 1 general flood event.
Recent occurrences illustrate these tropical impacts. In September 2020, a weakening Tropical Storm Sally moved into Georgia, spreading heavy rainfall amounts of 2 to 8 inches and producing flash flooding. Similarly, in October 2020, the remnants of Hurricane Delta passed northwest of the state, bringing Gulf moisture that caused pockets of heavy rainfall and flooding across northeast Georgia.
National Flood Insurance Program records show varying impacts across zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $5,799 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $42,529 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents should pay particular attention to properties located in mapped flood hazards such as Zone A, as well as those vulnerable to intense rainfall and flash flooding in Zone X.
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 2004, with 3 claims and $45,642 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Jackson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 3 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 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2000 |
| Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm | Mar 13, 1993 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 10, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2016 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2013 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Oct 29, 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 · Sep 17, 2020. A weakening Tropical Storm Sally moved into Georgia on September 16th, spreading heavy rainfall amounts and producing damaging winds in north and central Georgia. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 8 inches occurred, with the axis of heaviest rainfall extending from near Columbus, to Macon, to Augusta. The highest winds were observed in the metro Atlanta area as Sally's convective bands moved through late on September 16th.
Flash Flood · Oct 10, 2020. During the afternoon and evening of October 10th, as the remnants of Hurricane Delta passed northwest of Georgia, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico spread across the area. Several weak tornadoes occurred in north and central Georgia in addition to pockets of heavy rainfall and flooding across the Atlanta metropolitan area and portions of northeast Georgia.
Flash Flood · Apr 19, 2019. Another in a series of deep upper-level troughs and its associated surface low and cold front moved through the region. Marginal instability but moderate to high shear and strong dynamics resulted in a line of strong thunderstorms, with isolated damaging winds and a few tornadoes, that swept through north and central Georgia during the morning. Training storms and ample moisture produced a swath of heavy rain stre…
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 Jackson 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.