24 flood insurance claims·$153,491 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 Spalding 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 dominate the flood history of Spalding County, supported by 14 tropical storm events, 9 flash flood events, 7 general flood events, and 3 hurricane events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences include heavy rainfall from persistent thunderstorms in February 2024 that produced 2.5 to 5 inches of rain and isolated flash flooding, as well as remnants of Tropical Storm Marco in August 2020 which brought 1.5 to 5 inches of rain and caused flash flooding across the south metro Atlanta area.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas. Zone X accounts for 11 claims with an average payout of $12,613 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Zone A includes 8 claims with an average payout of $19,418 and an average recorded water depth of 72 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED has 5 claims with an average payout of $4,585 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Residents in Zone A face the highest average water depths and payouts, while property owners in both shaded and unshaded Zone X areas also experience significant claims and should pay close attention to local drainage and heavy rainfall 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 28 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 $66,919 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Spalding County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 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 Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Tropical Storm Frances | Sep 3, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2021 | $20,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $700,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2009 | $500 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 12, 2024. A period of persistent thunderstorms moved through the area with an initial warm front early in the morning and later a weak cold front overnight. Weak instability resulted in mostly benign activity, aside from a single report of each hail and wind damage. Rainfall amounts of 2.5 to 5 inches stretched across central Georgia, with highest amounts along the Georgia-Alabama line, between LaGrange and Columbus. Isolat…
Flash Flood · May 4, 2021. A series of upper-level short waves moved across the region in persistent, southwesterly upper-level flow combined with moderate instability and shear to produce several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms across north and central Georgia. Some of these storms dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain over the area, resulting in isolated flash flooding.
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 · Aug 25, 2020. Remnants of Tropical Storm Marco moving through the region caused deep tropical moisture to remain over Georgia, producing moderate to heavy showers over the metro Atlanta area through the day. Rainfall amounts of 1.5 to 3 inches were common, with isolated higher amounts of 3 to 5 inches producing flash flooding in south metro Atlanta.
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 Spalding 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.