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Downtown Thomasville Alabama 02Photo: Altairisfar · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Thomasville · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Thomasville than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thomasville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #155 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 51%River and rain flooding 35%Tornadoes 9%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#155 of 187 in Alabama
Hazard risk
C−#155 of 187
in Alabama · higher than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
51% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 22 declared for Clarke County
By hazard

What Thomasville faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

51%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

River and rain flooding

35%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Lightning top 4% Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves top 3% Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Thomasville’s grade

Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Thomasville, and Thomasville’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 9%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Thomasville sits
Thomasville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #155 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Thomasville’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes51%River and rain flooding35%Tornadoes9%Everything else5%

The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Thomasville has more expected damage per building than 83% of Alabama towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Thomasville: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Zeta in 2020, FEMA took 578 aid registrations from Thomasville addresses (the town has 1,884 homes).
A small-area figure. Thomasville covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Thomasville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Thomasville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Thomasville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Clarke County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Thomasville

Disasters that paid out in Thomasville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Thomasville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2020Hurricane Zeta578 households applied for aid$953K aid approved$79K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
  2. 2020Hurricane Sally1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Nate$10K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding98 households applied for aid$72K aid approved
  5. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and Straight-line$19K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Hurricane Katrina704 households applied for aid$967K aid approved$58K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
  2. 2005Hurricane Dennis$27K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan966 households applied for aid$912K aid approved$412K to the City of Thomasville for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding42 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ThomasvilleClarke County only

Clarke County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Thomasville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Thomasville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Thomasville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Thomasville

Is Thomasville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thomasville has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #155 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Thomasville in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Clarke County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Thomasville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Thomasville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Thomasville?

By FEMA money that reached Thomasville, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 966 households applied for aid, $912K approved, and $412K to the City of Thomasville for repairs.

Is Thomasville at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Thomasville’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Thomasville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Thomasville’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.