180 flood insurance claims·$3.8M paid·5 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 Clay 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 summer thunderstorms and heavy rain events dominates the flood history of Clay County, Arkansas. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, the county experienced 27 flash flood events, 10 general flood events resulting in 1 death, and 1 tropical storm. Recent documented events include flash flooding caused by heavy rain and training storms on April 5, 2025, and an instance of flash flooding resulting from merging mesoscale convective systems on August 17, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Zone A properties account for the vast majority of historical claims with 153 filings, averaging $24,373 per payout with an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. However, properties in lower-risk designations also experienced losses, including 11 claims in Zone X averaging $26,194 with an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, 9 claims in Zone UNKNOWN averaging $20,989 with an average recorded water depth of 21 inches, and 7 claims in Zone X_UNSHADED averaging $18,047 with an average recorded water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, while recognizing that properties in Zone X, Zone X_UNSHADED, and Zone UNKNOWN have also sustained recorded flood damages.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Clay County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
160 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 6 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 2017, with 35 claims and $1.5M 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Clay County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 5 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 | Apr 26, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms,tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 27, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Dec 23, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 2, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 25, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Dec 27, 2015 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2014 | $685,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 21, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. The front eventually sagged south back into the Mid-South during the early morning hours of April 5th. Strong low-level moisture transport into the frontal zone resulted in heavy rain and training storms across northern sections of the Mid-South, mainly north of I-40. A bow echo developed along and just south of the slowly advancing front. This feature crossed the entire forecast area producing 13 tornadoes, inclu…
Flash Flood · Aug 17, 2024. A couple of decaying mesoscale convective systems moved out of southern Missouri and north central Arkansas and then merged and intensified over the Mid-South during the early morning hours of August 17. 2024. Storms fed on a fairly unstable airmass across the region and were aided by about 30 knots of bulk shear. There were several instances of damaging winds with isolated large hail and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jan 2, 2023. A warm front lifted northward off the Gulf Coast, causing rapid moisture transport to the Mid-South. In addition, an upper-level trough and associated cold front approached the area. This led to showers in the afternoon and then severe thunderstorms that continued through the overnight hours. Damaging wind, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding were the result.
Flash Flood · Oct 25, 2021. A weakening cold front pushed into the Mid-South during the early morning hours of October 25, 2021. Slow-moving thunderstorms over parts of Northeast Arkansas resulted in isolated flash flooding.
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 Clay 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.