Enter any address in Greenwood County, South Carolina to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from intense rainfall events is the primary flood hazard in Greenwood County. Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 14 flash flood events and 10 general flood events, with tropical storms also contributing to heavy rainfall, as seen with Tropical Cyclone Helene in September 2024. Widespread flooding and flash flooding occurred in February 2020 due to an extended period of moderate to heavy rainfall associated with a slow-moving frontal system.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced a higher volume of claims, with an average payout of $20,186 and an average water depth of 3.6 feet. Properties in Zone X have also filed claims, averaging $6,958 with a water depth of 1.4 feet. Homeowners in Zone A, and those located near waterways or in areas prone to heavy rainfall, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
9 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Greenwood County, South Carolina has recorded 26 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 14 flash floods and 10 river or area floods. The county has received 20 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 |
| Hurricane Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ian | Hurricane | Sep 25, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Hurricane | Sep 8, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Hurricane | Sep 6, 2017 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2025 | 5.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | 15.00M (1 deaths) |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2020 | 4.00K |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | 10.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 11, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Dec 30, 2015 | 150.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2015 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Dec 22, 2015 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Oct 4, 2015 | 250.00K |
Flash Flood — May 13, 2025
Scattered thunderstorms and storm clusters developed across upstate South Carolina during the evening. One storm produced a brief tornado in Abbeville County. Storms and clusters tended to move slowly, resulting in locally heavy rainfall, with isolated flash flooding developing where multiple storms moved over the same areas.
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 ...
Flood — Jan 13, 2020
Showers and thunderstorms developed over the South Carolina Piedmont during the early morning hours of the 13th in association with a slow-moving cold front. 1.5 to 3 inches of rain fell over much of Greenwood County over several hours. With relatively poor antecedent conditions in place resulting from rainfall during the 11th and 12th, the additional rainfall caused flooding to develop during ...
Flood — Feb 6, 2020
Unusually high levels of moisture for early February combined with a slow-moving frontal system to produce an extended period of moderate to heavy rainfall across Upstate South Carolina from the morning of the 5th until the early morning hours of the 7th. Intense rain rates associated with bands of heavy rain showers and embedded thunderstorms developing along the front during the morning and a...
Flash Flood — Feb 6, 2020
Unusually high levels of moisture for early February combined with a slow-moving frontal system to produce an extended period of moderate to heavy rainfall across Upstate South Carolina from the morning of the 5th until the early morning hours of the 7th. Intense rain rates associated with bands of heavy rain showers and embedded thunderstorms developing along the front during the morning and a...
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 Greenwood County, South 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 Greenwood County, South 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.