2 flood insurance claims·$36,949 paid·6 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 Johnson 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 hurricanes dominate the flood risk profile of Johnson County, supported by 12 tropical storm events, 4 floods, 4 flash floods, and 3 hurricanes recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Major historical impacts are documented in recent severe weather events, including Hurricane Michael in October 2018 and Hurricane Helene in September 2024, which brought destructive winds and heavy rainfall inland after making landfall in Florida. Additionally, a persistent El Niño pattern caused heavy rainfall of 3 to 4 inches in under 12 hours, resulting in isolated flash flooding in February 2016.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect limited claims history with distinct variance between risk levels. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $36,634 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $315 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners located within FEMA Zone A should pay the most attention to this flood risk due to higher potential financial loss and recorded water depth during flood events.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Johnson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | May 11, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 3, 2016 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2013 | $6,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2013 | $50,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · 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 10, 2018. Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle at Mexico beach (just southeast of Panama City) on the afternoon of October 10, 2018 as a high-end Category 4 hurricane (max winds of 155 MPH). Michael then moved rapidly inland, causing widespread wind damage along its path as it swept northeast across south and central Georgia. Hurricane Michael was the first major hurricane, category 3 or higher, to di…
Tropical Storm · Sep 11, 2017. On the morning of August 30th Tropical Storm Irma developed rapidly over the eastern Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Cape Verde Islands. Tropical Irma quickly strengthened as it moved west, reaching hurricane strength by the morning of August 31st. Hurricane Irma continued to move steadily westward across the Atlantic Ocean, intensifying to category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale as it approached the norther…
Flash Flood · Feb 3, 2016. A persistent and strong El Nino weather pattern remained over the United States into February. A deep and strong southwesterly upper-level flow across the eastern U.S. resulted in an extremely moist and moderately unstable atmosphere over north and central Georgia. A slow moving frontal boundary and a series of short waves in the southwesterly flow aloft resulted in multiple rounds of heavy rain during the day. Ra…
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 Johnson 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.