60
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.4M
Property damage
Flash Flood in DeKalb County, Alabama: 60 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #461 nationally and #13 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in DeKalb County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in DeKalb County is the 2000s, when 22 of the county's 60 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the DeKalb County archive, flash flood makes up 6.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #461 for this hazard and #13 within Alabama, putting it in the 84.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for flash flood in DeKalb County with 13 recorded events, while Oct is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2019 | GROVE OAK | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2021 | FT PAYNE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 5, 2020 | GROVE OAK | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2025 | FT PAYNE ISBELL ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2025 | FT PAYNE ISBELL ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 13, 2025 | FYFFE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2022 | KILPATRICK | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2021 | FT PAYNE | 0 | $0 |
| May 4, 2021 | RAINSVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | FT PAYNE | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | FT PAYNE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | SULPHUR SPGS | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | VALLEY HEAD | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from DeKalb County
- Thunderstorm Wind 578
- Hail 196
- Tornado 74
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Airport Road and Highway 35 near the Interstate 59 interchange flooded with water rising rapidly. Water reported to be to the steps of tractor trailers at this time. Airport Road closed. One fatality occurred here when a womans car was swept off the roadway due to flooding from Dye Branch which feeds into Big Wills Creek.
A Jeep with 3 teenagers ventured across the spillway/bridge in Bucks Pocket State Park on February 22nd and was swept away by raging floodwaters following record rainfall across the area. The driver and passenger survived, found clinging to trees several hundred yards downstream, but the young man in the back of the vehicle perished. His body was found March 21 in Morgan Cove, after divers found the vehicle several days prior.
An intense thunderstorm produced intense rainfall leading to flash flooding in the Big Wills Creek basin in western Fort Payne. Rainfall amounts of 1.5 to as much as 4.1 inches of rainfall were measured in the vicinity, much of it falling in just a 30 minute period. The U.S.G.S. river gage along Big Wills Creek west of Fort Payne registered it's 4th highest crest to date at 11.47 feet. Water backed up and flooded several businesses along Highways 35 and 11 causing considerable damage. Several cars became submerged in water. One home and a dental business also sustained substantial water damage on the lowest floors of the locations. A local paving company was in the process of completing a large drainage project in the Fort Payne, Alabama area and the flood waters produced an extensive amount of damage to their project.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in DeKalb County, Alabama?
60 flash flood events are recorded in DeKalb County between 1996 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in DeKalb County?
The strongest flash flood on record in DeKalb County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for DeKalb County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in DeKalb County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/dekalb-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.