14 flood insurance claims·$162,247 paid·4 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 Pickens 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 and tropical storms dominate the recorded flood events in Pickens County over the last 30 years, with NOAA data showing 16 flash flood events, 13 tropical storm events, 4 general flood events, and 3 hurricane events. Heavy rainfall from frontal systems can produce rapid flooding, as demonstrated by severe thunderstorms on February 6, 2020, which dropped 1.5 to 4 inches of rain—with isolated amounts up to 6 inches—across north Georgia and caused widespread flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims have been filed across multiple zones, with the highest claim count occurring in Zone A (6 claims averaging a $20,376 payout with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch). However, significant risk also extends outside high-risk special flood hazard areas; unshaded Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $30,954 and an average recorded water depth of 36 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay particular attention to properties located within designated Zone A riverine areas as well as properties in unshaded Zone X locations, where historical claims indicate the potential for significant, deep-water flooding events driven by heavy regional rainfall.
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 13 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 2019, with 3 claims and $35,566 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Pickens County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Mar 25, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Zeta | Oct 29, 2020 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2019 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 24, 2015 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2013 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2013 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2013 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Feb 6, 2020. A line of thunderstorms ahead of a strong cold front moved into northwest Georgia in the pre-dawn hours and swept across north and central Georgia through the morning into the afternoon producing numerous reports of damaging thunderstorm winds and an isolated tornado. Storms along the front also produced heavy rainfall, ranging from 1.5 to 4 inches, with higher amounts up to 6 inches, particularly over north Georg…
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2019. Broad but weak upper-level ridging persisted across the region. However, ample moisture and a moderately unstable atmosphere resulted in isolated to scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms and isolated reports of severe weather each day. Rainfall amounts associated with these storms were generally 1.5 to 2.5 inches, with isolated areas of 3 to 5 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 Pickens 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.