2 flood insurance claims·$1,448 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 Madison 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 from heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Madison County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 14 tropical storm events, 5 flash flood events, 2 hurricane events, and 1 general flood event.
Recent notable events illustrate these risks. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene brought widespread heavy rainfall ranging from 6 to 14 inches across north and central Georgia. Earlier, in June 2014, training thunderstorms dumped heavy rain over Madison County, causing flash flooding along a few creeks. Tropical storms Zeta in October 2020 and Irma in September 2017 also impacted the region with wind damage and localized flooding.
Federal flood insurance claims data shows minimal historical payout activity, with single claims recorded in both Zone A and Zone X. Zone A claims averaged a $1,448 payout with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X claims averaged a $0 payout with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and prospective buyers in Madison County should pay the closest attention to properties located near creeks and low-lying areas susceptible to rapid accumulation from heavy tropical systems and severe thunderstorms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 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 |
| Hurricane Ivan | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Drought | Jul 20, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2014 | $60,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2009 | $5,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Nov 10, 2009 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 21, 2008 | — |
— = 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…
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.
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 · Jun 11, 2014. A cold front pushed across the Southeast U.S. on the 11th, with a very moist airmass in place ahead of the front. Once again, widespread showers and thunderstorms developed. A couple of these became severe with damaging winds reported, but some of these thunderstorms trained over the same areas of Madison and Emanuel Counties which dumped heavy rain and caused flash flooding of a few creeks.
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 Madison 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.