Enter any address in Avery County, North Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events dominates the flood character in Avery County. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 31 flash flood events, resulting in 6 fatalities. Recent events in September 2024, including flash floods and a tropical storm, were associated with Tropical Cyclone Helene, which produced widespread heavy rain over the region.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $58,250 and an average water depth of 4.6 feet. Properties in Zone X also have a history of claims, averaging $27,645 with a reported water depth of 5.0 feet. Residents in Zone A and Zone X, as well as those in areas without a Base Flood Elevation (BFE), should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
15 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Avery County, North Carolina has recorded 40 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 31 flash floods and 7 river or area floods. The county has received 22 federal disaster declarations, 4 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1977–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 28, 2022 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Fred | Hurricane | Aug 16, 2021 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Hurricane | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane | Sep 1, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Hurricane | Sep 7, 2018 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | 100.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | 9.00M |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | 40.00M (6 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Nov 11, 2022 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2021 | 100.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2019 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2019 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2018 | 5.00K |
Flood — Sep 27, 2024
Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th. A plume of moisture extending from the intensifying storm interacted with a slow-moving cold front to produce a band of widespread heavy rain showers and embedded scattered thunderstorms over ...
Tropical Storm — Sep 27, 2024
Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th. A plume of moisture extending from the intensifying storm interacted with a slow-moving cold front to produce a band of widespread heavy rain showers and embedded scattered thunderstorms over ...
Flash Flood — Sep 26, 2024
Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th. A plume of moisture extending from the intensifying storm interacted with a slow-moving cold front to produce a band of widespread heavy rain showers and embedded scattered thunderstorms over ...
Flash Flood — Sep 25, 2024
Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th. A plume of moisture extending from the intensifying storm interacted with a slow-moving cold front to produce a band of widespread heavy rain showers and embedded scattered thunderstorms over ...
Flash Flood — Nov 11, 2022
Unseasonably high moisture interacted with a stationary, weakening frontal boundary to produce heavy rainfall across western North Carolina throughout the 11th. Flash flooding developed along several basins across the northern mountains after 4 to 7 inches of rain fell in around 24 hours, with roughly half of that falling within a few hours during the morning.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Avery County, North Carolina:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Avery County, North Carolina that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.