Enter any address in Rutherford County, North Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the most frequent type of flooding in Rutherford County, NC, with 26 recorded events in the last 30 years. Tropical Cyclone Helene brought significant rainfall to the region in September 2024, contributing to both flash flood and tropical storm events.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $65,257 and an average water depth of 6.4 feet. Zone X also shows a significant number of claims, with an average payout of $35,776 and an average water depth of 7.0 feet.
Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X, as well as those in Zone X_Unshaded, should pay close 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.
Rutherford County, North Carolina has recorded 36 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 26 flash floods and 8 river or area floods. The county has received 22 federal disaster declarations, 1 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | 10.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | 1.00M |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | 4.00M (2 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | 35.00M (1 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | 5.00K |
| Flood | Oct 7, 2021 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Oct 7, 2021 | 750.00K |
| Flood | May 19, 2020 | 0.50K |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2020 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | 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 ...
Flood — Oct 7, 2021
A slow moving area of upper level low pressure over the Mid-Mississippi Valley pumped semi-tropical weather into the western Carolinas for a couple of days, resulting in occasional rounds of moderate to heavy in the day leading up to the 7th. Scattered slow-moving thunderstorm clusters developed over the foothills during the morning of the 7th, producing torrential rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inch...
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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.