61 flood insurance claims·$824,798 paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Ashley County, Arkansas. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe storms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood history of Ashley County, which recorded 57 flash flood events alongside 9 general flood events, 2 tropical storms, 2 hurricanes, and 1 tropical depression over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include strong storms that produced damaging winds and flash flooding on April 5, 2025, as well as heavy rainfall that caused localized flash flooding across parts of the county on July 12, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk spans multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 40 claims with an average payout of $20,064 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $31,509 and an average water depth of 1 inch, and unshaded Zone X recorded 11 claims averaging $5,534 with an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, where claims and average water depths are significantly higher, while remaining aware of potential localized flooding across moderate and minimal risk zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Ashley County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
54 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2016, with 13 claims and $364,209 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
26 NOAA storm reports from Ashley County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 8, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 9, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Hurricane Gustav | Sep 2, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 15, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
71 since 1996: 57 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 18, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2023 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2022 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. On the afternoon of April 5th, strong to severe storms produced damaging winds and flash flooding in southeast Arkansas.
Flash Flood · Apr 18, 2024. Several rounds of heavy rain across southeast Arkansas produced flooding.
Flood · Apr 10, 2024. Thunderstorms produced heavy rain and flash flooding in the vicinity of Dermott, Arkansas during the morning of April 9th.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2023. Heavy rainfall fell across the area and localized flash flooding occurred across parts of Ashley county.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Ashley County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.