271 flood insurance claims·$4.3M 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 Garland 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 weather and heavy rainfall dominates the flood history of Garland County. NOAA records from the last 30 years show 70 flash flood events, compared to 7 standard floods, 3 tropical depressions, and 2 tropical storms. Recent impacts include a multiday severe weather and flash flooding event in April 2025, which brought half a foot to over one foot of rain across many locations, as well as a significant multi-day rain event that caused flash flooding on January 30, 2025.
Federal insurance data reflects these risks across different property zones. Zone A accounts for the highest volume with 178 claims, averaging an $25,313 payout and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X recorded 57 claims with an average payout of $24,399 and an average water depth of 3 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $3,094 and an average water depth of 12 inches. Properties with unknown zones and Zone X_SHADED recorded smaller numbers of claims with lower average payouts and depths of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in designated high-risk flood areas like Zone A, as well as those in Zone X with historical flood impacts, should pay the most attention to these localized risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Garland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
191 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 2008, with 35 claims and $1.5M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding and Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Hurricane Gustav.
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.
37 NOAA storm reports from Garland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
21 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 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 25, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Hurricane Gustav | Sep 2, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
82 since 1996: 70 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 11, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 22, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. Heavy rainfall across central and west central Arkansas lead to isolated flash flooding.
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 · Apr 4, 2025. Severe weather, including widespread flash flooding occurred over a five day period across the entire state. This multiday event featured tornadoes, damaging winds, and very large hail. But by far and large, flash flooding and river flooding were the biggest impacts taken away from this unsettled period of weather due to total rainfall amounts between half a foot to over one foot in many locations.
Flash Flood · Mar 24, 2023. Several inches of rain fell across Arkansas associated with a storm system moving across the region. Flash flooding and some severe weather was noted.
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 Garland 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.