321 flood insurance claims·$7.7M 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 Faulkner 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 weather and slow-moving frontal systems dominates the flood risks in Faulkner County, accounting for 84 of the 108 recorded flood events over the last 30 years and resulting in one fatality. Severe storms and heavy rainfall frequently trigger rapid flooding across the region, as demonstrated by a multiday severe weather event in April 2025 that dropped between half a foot and over one foot of rain, as well as a significant rain event driven by a slowly lifting warm front in January 2025.
Federal insurance data underscores that flood risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas. Properties located within FEMA Zone A have experienced the highest impact, logging 236 claims with an average payout of $31,442 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. However, properties in lower-risk zones are also vulnerable; Zone X properties recorded 63 claims with an average payout of $2
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Faulkner County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
256 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 5 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 2011, with 93 claims and $1.5M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated 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.
57 NOAA storm reports from Faulkner County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 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 Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 25, 2023 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 21, 2019 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
108 since 1996: 84 flash floods and 20 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 30, 2025. A slowly lifting warm front across Arkansas led to a significant rain event across central and northern Arkansas during a period of several days. Rainfall totals mounted across the northern half of the state and by January 30th locations across central and northern Arkansas experienced Flash Flooding after receiving additional rainfall.
Flash Flood · Feb 15, 2025. Heavy rainfall was observed with a complex of showers and storms that moved across the state. While a few storms may be been strong over southeast Arkansas, a few flooding reports were noted over central into north-central Arkansas.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2025. A cold front swept from northwest to southeast across Arkansas which initiated strong to severe thunderstorms ahead of the line. Of these storms, some would reach severe criteria producing a swath of wind damage and numerous instances of flash flooding across the state of Arkansas.
Flood · Apr 6, 2025. Heavy rainfall over a multiday period brought flooding to many rivers across Arkansas. Points along the White, Black, Cache, and Ouachita Rivers remained in flood through the remainder of the month.
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 Faulkner 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.