Enter any address in Cabarrus County, North Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the dominant flood character in Cabarrus County. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 43 flood events and 42 flash flood events, resulting in one reported death. Recent examples include heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Cyclone Helene in late September 2024, which caused widespread flooding, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024, which brought 4 to 7 inches of rain and flash flooding to western North Carolina.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A, which have no base flood elevation defined, have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $24,044 and an average water depth of 3.7 feet. Properties in Zone X also show a significant number of claims, with an average payout of $16,059 and an average water depth of 7.9 feet. Homeowners in these zones, particularly those without a defined Base Flood Elevation (BFE), should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
32 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Cabarrus County, North Carolina has recorded 88 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 42 flash floods and 43 river or area floods. The county has received 19 federal disaster declarations. 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 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 5, 2024 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 28, 2022 |
| 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 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | 10.00K |
| Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jan 9, 2024 | 3.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | 2.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2023 | 200.00K |
| Flood | Apr 8, 2023 | 2.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 30, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2020 | 10.00K (1 deaths) |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | 0.00K |
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 ...
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 ...
Flood — Jan 9, 2024
A major/complex frontal system brought widespread rain with embedded thunderstorms to western North Carolina, mainly during the afternoon of the 9th. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches (with locally higher amounts) in around 12 hours resulted in numerous reports of flooding. Isolated severe thunderstorms also resulted in a number of damaging wind gusts reports over the Piedmont, along...
Flash Flood — Jan 9, 2024
A major/complex frontal system brought widespread rain with embedded thunderstorms to western North Carolina, mainly during the afternoon of the 9th. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches (with locally higher amounts) in around 12 hours resulted in numerous reports of flooding. Isolated severe thunderstorms also resulted in a number of damaging wind gusts reports over the Piedmont, along...
Flash Flood — Aug 8, 2024
The remnants Tropical Storm Debby made landfall in the Florida Big Bend on the 5th, lifted steadily northeast across southeast Georgia before turning north through the South Carolina coastal plain and the North Carolina Piedmont on the 7th and 8th. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches with locally higher amounts resulted in flash flooding across portions of western North Carolina. In addition, ve...
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 Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus 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.