26 flood insurance claims·$162,079 paid·4 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 Howard 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 and heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Howard County, Arkansas, accounting for 40 out of 44 recorded flood events over the past 30 years, alongside 3 standard floods and 1 tropical storm.
Severe weather patterns are capable of producing widespread heavy rainfall, as demonstrated on February 8, 2023, when a surface low combined with a stalled frontal boundary and an upper-level closed low to channel Pacific and Gulf moisture across the region. This exact synoptic setup generated multiple concurrent flood and flash flood events on that single day.
Residents and property owners should review their flood risk according to FEMA zone designations. Zone A accounts for the highest volume of historical National Flood Insurance Program claims with 15 filings, averaging a payout of $5,512 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $10,412 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X properties saw 4 claims averaging $12,501 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists in all designated zones—particularly those with properties in mapped high-risk areas or unmapped locations—should pay close attention to these historical claim patterns and water depths when evaluating local vulnerability.
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.
The worst year was 1983, with 4 claims and $49,164 paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
25 NOAA storm reports from Howard County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 4 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 Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 27, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 9, 2009 |
| Tropical Storm Ike | Sep 13, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
44 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 8, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Feb 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 24, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 12, 2023. A small complex of showers and thunderstorms spread southeast into the northern sections of Southwest Arkansas during the morning hours of May 12th with the passage of an upper level disturbance. While these showers and thunderstorms remained non-severe as they moved into Southwest Arkansas, a very moist air mass coupled with the slow movement of these storms allowed for the development of locally heavy rainfall w…
Flash Flood · Feb 8, 2023. A surface low was accompanied by a stalled frontal boundary that extended near and along the Interstate 30 corridor of Southwest Arkansas, Southeast Oklahoma, and far Northeast Texas. Aloft, a closed low was positioned across eastern New Mexico into the Texas Panhandle with a trailing trough well south into northern and central Mexico. This pattern allowed for plentiful Pacific moisture to combine with Gulf of Mex…
Flood · Feb 8, 2023. A surface low was accompanied by a stalled frontal boundary that extended near and along the Interstate 30 corridor of Southwest Arkansas, Southeast Oklahoma, and far Northeast Texas. Aloft, a closed low was positioned across eastern New Mexico into the Texas Panhandle with a trailing trough well south into northern and central Mexico. This pattern allowed for plentiful Pacific moisture to combine with Gulf of Mex…
Flash Flood · Aug 12, 2020. An upper level trough shifted southeast across Eastern Oklahoma and much of Arkansas during the early morning hours of August 12th, which helped to ignite scattered showers and thunderstorms over these areas. A weak inverted surface trough had developed along the Red River Valley of Southeast Oklahoma and extreme Northeast Texas, with a 25-30 kt southwesterly low level jet feeding near and atop this boundary along…
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 Howard 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.