Enter any address in Buncombe County, North Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the dominant flood character in Buncombe County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 39 flash flood events, resulting in 24 fatalities, alongside 13 flood events with 2 fatalities. Tropical storms have also occurred, with two recorded in the last three decades. Recent events, such as those in September 2024, illustrate the impact of heavy rainfall, often associated with tropical cyclones interacting with weather fronts, leading to widespread showers and thunderstorms.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $98,596 and an average water depth of 6.6 feet. While Zone X properties have had fewer claims, some have experienced significant water depth, averaging 9.2 feet with an average payout of $57,304. Homeowners in Zone A, and those in Zone X with higher water depths, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
25 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Buncombe County, North Carolina has recorded 54 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 39 flash floods and 13 river or area floods. The county has received 21 federal disaster declarations, 3 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2026)
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 | 35.00M |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | 300.00M (15 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Aug 17, 2021 | 1.00M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2021 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2020 | 100.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2019 | 30.00K |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2019 | 1.00K |
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 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 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 ...
Flood — Aug 17, 2021
Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th. Tropical moisture and strong southeast upslope flow into the Blue Ridge mountains resulted in widespread showers and some thunderstorms producing extremely heavy rainfall rates. By the time the rain tapered o...
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 Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.