56 flood insurance claims·$948,517 paid·1 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 Cherokee 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 from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Cherokee County, North Carolina, accounting for 12 of the 21 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 8 standard flood events and 1 tropical storm.
Recent history illustrates this local hazard. For example, a major weather system brought flooding rainfall in March 2021 when the ground was already near saturation from previous heavy rains. Additionally, slow-moving thunderstorms anchored over higher terrain near Marble, North Carolina, produced up to 8 inches of rain in July 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows the highest volume of historical payouts concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 39 claims with an average payout of $26,518 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $10,727 and an average recorded water depth of 30 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals working within designated high-risk flood zones and lower-lying terrain should pay the closest attention to these historical patterns when assessing property risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Cherokee County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
43 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 16 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 2015, with 14 claims and $133,967 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.
16 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 28, 2022 |
| Hurricane Isaias | Jul 31, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 6, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Sep 1, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 7, 2018 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2022 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Dec 2, 2015 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Dec 2, 2015 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jan 15, 2013 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2022. A thunderstorm anchored and redeveloping over higher terrain near Marble NC produced up to 8 inches of rain.
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2022. A thunderstorm anchored and redeveloping over higher terrain near Marble NC produced up to 8 inches of rain.
Flash Flood · Mar 28, 2021. A major weather system that brought damaging thunderstorms and flooding rainfall to the Tennessee Valley also had impacts, although lesser, in southwestern North Carolina. The ground was already near saturation due to heavy rains from a few days earlier.
Flash Flood · May 4, 2021. A line of storms associated with a cold front moved through near midday of May 4, producing flash flooding.
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 Cherokee 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.