1 flood insurance claims·$7,084 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 Dallas 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 events dominates the flood profile of Dallas County, Arkansas. Over the past thirty years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 28 flash flood events, alongside 5 general floods, 3 tropical storm events, and 3 tropical depressions.
Recent events illustrate these risks. In May 2022, rounds of strong thunderstorms driven by a cold front dropped heavy rainfall that led to river rises and flash flooding. Similarly, in May 2023, a stalled cold front and an incoming storm system combined with high moisture levels to drop two to more than four inches of rain across the region in a 48-hour period, resulting in flash flooding. Tropical systems, such as Tropical Storm Laura in August 2020, have also impacted the area.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records show limited National Flood Insurance Program claims activity, specifically documenting one claim in Zone X_SHADED with an average payout of $7,084 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in moderate-risk areas like Zone X_SHADED should pay attention to these localized flood hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Dallas County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Apr 12, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 5, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 27, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 3, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2012 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 12, 2023. A cold front stalled across the northern counties of Arkansas, and the focus shifted to a storm system headed this way from Texas on the 10th/11th. As the system approached, moisture levels went through the roof. Storm clouds had more than usual moisture to wring out, making them more efficient rain makers. Two to more than four inches of rain dumped from southwest into central sections of Arkansas. In the 48 hour…
Flash Flood · May 5, 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…
Tropical Storm · Aug 27, 2020. Tropical Storm Laura moved ashore from the Gulf of Mexico near Cameron, LA, around 1200 AM CST on August 27, 2020 with 150 mph sustained winds! This part of the state had never experienced such a powerful (Category 4) hurricane. Measured gusts exceeded 130 mph in Lake Charles, LA. Not only was there widespread structural damage, a television tower was destroyed and the WSR-88D (Doppler Weather Radar) at the local…
Flood · Feb 23, 2018. Later in the month, the focus shifted from ice to areas of heavy rain and some severe weather. A front wobbled across the region from the 20th through the 23rd, and a storm system roared through the middle of the country on the 24th. Forecast models showed there was at least twice the usual moisture for late February. Given a tremendous amount of liquid to wring out of the clouds, and with downpours lasting for s…
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 Dallas 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.