115 flood insurance claims·$2.8M paid·2 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 Baxter 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 driven by severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood history of Baxter County. Over a thirty-year period, NOAA records document 32 flash flood events, alongside 6 general floods, 2 tropical storms, and 2 tropical depressions. Heavy precipitation events frequently result from cold fronts interacting with moist air systems, leading to rapid river rises and localized inundation.
Historical events illustrate these patterns, such as the severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall that produced flash flooding from August 3 to August 6, 2016, and the heavy rain and cold front progression that caused flash flooding on May 2, 2022.
NFIP insurance claims data highlights that properties in FEMA-designated Zone A face the highest frequency of risk, accounting for 95 claims with an average water depth of 20 inches and an average payout of $31,482. Homeowners and real estate professionals in Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X which recorded 17 claims averaging 12 inches of water depth and $48,322 per payout, should pay the most attention to local flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
1% of Baxter County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
96 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 19 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 2008, with 65 claims and $2.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Baxter County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 18, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
42 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 6, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2013 | — |
| Tropical Depression | Aug 30, 2012 | $500,000 |
| Tropical Depression | Sep 1, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2011 | $300,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2011 | $750,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 2, 2022. A few rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms developed through May 5th. The bulk of the active weather took place from late on May 4th into the 5th as a cold front moved into the state from the northwest. In addition to severe weather reports of damaging wind and hail, very heavy rain fell from northeast Oklahoma eastward into Arkansas and across southern Missouri. This widespread heavy rain led to rises on area…
Flash Flood · Nov 6, 2019. It warmed somewhat by the 6th (more seasonable temperatures), with mainly rain in the forecast. Precipitation expanded across the northern half of the state from Oklahoma ahead of an incoming cold front. Rain became heavy toward the Missouri border after dark, and did not make it into southern sections until after daybreak on the 7th.||Around 645 am CDT on the 7th, lightning sparked a fire at a trailer near Royal…
Flash Flood · Aug 5, 2016. Severe thunderstorms from August 3 to August 6, 2016 produced large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2013. A nearly stationary front in Arkansas, unusually high water content of the atmosphere, and occasional areas of low pressure aloft moving across the state brought heavy rain, some flash flooding, and a few severe storms from the 8th through the 11th. ||Some of the larger rainfall amounts for each day (for the 24-hour period ending at 7 AM on the stated date) included: |8th: 4.80 inches 2 miles south of Omaha (Boo…
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 Baxter 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.