4 flood insurance claims·$21,525 paid·6 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 Anson County, North Carolina. 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 driven by severe weather and tropical systems dominates the flood character of Anson County, NC. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 39 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 7 general flood events, 4 tropical storms, and 4 hurricanes.
Recent history illustrates these impacts. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene tracked northwest into the Tennessee Valley, producing widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches and flash flooding across central North Carolina. Earlier, in September 2022, Hurricane Ian brought heavy rainfall and tropical storm-force wind gusts. A separate heavy rain event caused flash flooding in February 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates payouts across different zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $8,796 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone V recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $3,932 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents in Anson County should pay the closest attention to these historical flood patterns when evaluating property risk.
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 1 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 2014, with 1 claims and $11,013 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Anson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the North Carolina flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 28, 2022 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Sep 1, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 7, 2018 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Oct 4, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
54 since 1996: 39 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | $750,000 |
| Flood | May 22, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 12, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Sep 17, 2018 | $5.6M |
| Flash Flood | Sep 15, 2018 | — · 1 killed |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm on the morning of 27 September across northeast Georgia. Helene continued to track to the west and northwest into the Tennessee Valley. Widespread rainfall totals of 2-4 inches of rain fell over central North Carolina, along with wind gusts of 25-45 mph. Additionally, four tornadoes occurred, with the strongest an EF3, touching down over Rocky Mount in Nash County.
Tropical Storm · Sep 30, 2022. Hurricane Ian made landfall along the South Carolina coast near Georgetown during the early afternoon hours of September 30, 2022. Widespread wind gusts over tropical storm force and heavy rainfall occurred across much of central North Carolina through the afternoon and evening hours. There were numerous reports of wind damage and power outages as a result of the storm.
Flood · May 22, 2020. A large upper level low over the Tennessee Valley slowly lifted northward and into the Ohio Valley. This allowed for copious amounts of moisture and rain to affect central North Carolina. This resulted in several reports of flash flooding across western portions of central North Carolina, that lingered into the the morning of May 22nd. Several storms became strong to severe during the afternoon with day time heati…
Flash Flood · May 21, 2020. A large upper level low over the Tennessee Valley slowly lifted northward and into the Ohio Valley. This allowed for copious amounts of moisture and rain to affect central North Carolina. This resulted in several reports of flash flooding across western portions of central North Carolina, that lingered into the the morning of May 22nd. Several storms became strong to severe during the afternoon with day time heati…
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 Anson 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.