42 flood insurance claims·$611,827 paid·2 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 Murray 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 from heavy thunderstorms and tropical systems dominates the flood risk profile in Murray County, Georgia, which recorded 16 flash flood events and 13 tropical storm events over the last 30 years. NOAA storm records illustrate this hazard, noting that persistent showers and thunderstorms dropped 2.5 to 6 inches of rain—with local amounts reaching 8 inches—across the region in March 2021. Additionally, Tropical Storm Zeta swept rapidly across north Georgia in October 2020, producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond designated high-risk areas, with Zone X properties accounting for 35 claims averaging an 8-inch recorded water depth and $18,152 per payout. By comparison, Zone A properties recorded 7 claims with an average water depth of 2 inches and an average payout of $11,210. Homeowners and real estate agents in Murray County should pay the most attention to properties in both moderate-to-low risk Zone X and high-risk Zone A, as historical claims and severe weather events demonstrate that flooding affects properties across multiple zones.
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 8 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 2018, with 9 claims and $226,736 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 Murray County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 2 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 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 1998 |
| Hurricane Opal | Oct 4, 1995 |
| Tornadoes, Flooding, And Severe Storms | Mar 27, 1994 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 25, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2017 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 25, 2015 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2015 | $2,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 25, 2021. A very moist and moderately unstable airmass over the region combined with strong shear and persistent southwesterly mid and upper flow produced numerous showers and thunderstorms across north and parts of central Georgia through the day on the 25th into the morning of the 26th. Numerous reports of flooding were received with several reports of severe thunderstorms and a few isolated tornadoes. Rainfall amounts of…
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 · May 18, 2018. A moist, tropical air mass remained in place over the southeast region through mid May. Afternoon heating triggered showers and thunderstorms to develop, and residual boundaries over northwest Georgia provided a focus for training storms. As a result, rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches occurred in portions of northwest Georgia, with isolated amounts greater than 6 inches.
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…
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 Murray 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.