45 flood insurance claims·$736,254 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 Newton 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 floods from severe weather systems define the primary flood risks in Newton County. Historical NOAA data from the last 30 years records 14 tropical storm events, 8 flash flood events, 4 general flood events, and 2 hurricane events. Recent severe impacts include Tropical Storm Zeta in October 2020, which brought widespread wind damage and isolated flooding, and heavy rainfall from severe thunderstorms resulting in flash flooding in December 2021. More recently, Hurricane Helene brought widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches across north and central Georgia in September 2024.
Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across multiple zones with varying severity. Zone A accounts for 20 claims with an average payout of $32,934 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone X records 15 claims with an average payout of $12,313 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Additionally, Zone X Unshaded contains 10 claims averaging a $15,605 payout with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, which experienced the highest number of claims and average payouts, as well as properties in Zone X that recorded the highest average water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
33% of Newton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
30 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
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 2015, with 7 claims and $212,569 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Newton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jan 12, 2023 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 18, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2017 | $5,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2015 | $781,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Sep 21, 2009 | $700,000 |
— = 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…
Flash Flood · Dec 30, 2021. Within an unseasonably warm and moist low-level environment, a strong southwest upper level flow with an intense mid-level shortwave ejecting across the Central Plains/Midwest regions resulted in a line of strong to severe thunderstorms (along with heavy rain) across north Georgia during the evening and overnight hours of 29-30 December 2021. The remnant boundary/front settled over central Georgia during the after…
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 · Jun 20, 2017. A stalled frontal boundary and anomalously moist air mass produced high rainfall amounts for several days, beginning June 19th. Multiple waves of precipitation including many training storms dropped high rainfall amounts over the metro Atlanta area and along the I-20 corridor. Rainfall amounts were generally 4-6 inches, with isolated amounts approaching 8 inches. Flash flooding resulted, especially within the Nanc…
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 Newton 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.