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 Wilkes 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.
Flood risk in Wilkes County is predominantly driven by tropical storms and general flooding events. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 16 tropical storm events, 6 flood events, 4 flash flood events, and 2 hurricane events.
Recent history illustrates these hazards. On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene brought widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches and wind gusts between 50 and 100 mph to portions of east and central Georgia. Earlier, on January 13, 2020, heavy rainfall from a stalled system combined with extremely wet soils to produce isolated flash flooding across the region. Additionally, Tropical Storm Zeta swept across north Georgia on October 29, 2020, producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties vulnerable to heavy inland rainfall and saturated soils associated with slow-moving tropical systems and stalled weather patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8 NOAA storm reports from Wilkes County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Ivan | Sep 14, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 13, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 13, 2020 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 11, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $200,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 4, 2011 | — |
— = 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.
Flash Flood · Jan 13, 2020. Following an incredibly wet beginning to January, another round of heavy rainfall occurred on January 13th as ample moisture continued to produce heavy rainfall over a stalled system. The rainfall amounts, combined with extremely wet soils resulted in isolated flash flooding over portions of north and central Georgia. Widespread rainfall amounts were generally 1 to 3 inches, with the heaviest amounts oriented alon…
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2018. Persistent, strong southwesterly upper-level flow over the region combined with a very moist atmosphere to produce widespread thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall, and an isolated report of thunderstorm wind damage.
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 Wilkes 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.