Enter any address in Madison County, North Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the primary flood concern in Madison County. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 37 flash flood events, resulting in 6 fatalities. These events are often associated with tropical systems interacting with local topography. For example, in September 2024, Tropical Cyclone Helene produced widespread heavy rainfall, and in August 2021, Tropical Storm Fred brought extremely heavy rainfall rates to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $123,488 and an average water depth of 5.5 feet. Properties in Zone X_SHADED also show significant claims activity, with an average payout of $74,042 and an average water depth of 2.8 feet. Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X_SHADED should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
12 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Madison County, North Carolina has recorded 46 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 37 flash floods and 7 river or area floods. The county has received 23 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 (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 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Feb 6, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane | Sep 1, 2019 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | 25.00M |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | 10.00M (5 deaths) |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | 2.00M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2021 | 250.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 13, 2020 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2019 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2017 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2013 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2013 | 2.50M |
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 ...
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 — 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...
Tropical Storm — Oct 29, 2020
Tropical moisture and heavy rain overspread western North Carolina throughout the 28th through the morning of the 29th as the center of Tropical Storm Zeta moved quickly from the mouth of the Mississippi River into the southern Appalachians. Strong winds developed across portions of western North Carolina during the morning, downing hundreds of trees across the area. Multiple trees fell on stru...
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 Madison 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 Madison 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.