6 flood insurance claims·$34,108 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 Johnson 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 events dominates the flood risk in Johnson County, Arkansas. Over the last 30 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded 53 flash flood events resulting in one death, compared to only 3 general flood events. Recent severe weather has frequently triggered these hazards, including a June 2025 cold front that produced a swath of wind damage and numerous instances of flash flooding, as well as a stationary front and Mesoscale Convective System in September 2025 that brought heavy rainfall and multiple flash floods to the area. Another heavy rain event impacted portions of the state in August 2025.
Federal Emergency Management Agency insurance claims data shows historical payouts across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $13,220 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $7,668 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in both designated special flood hazard areas like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk areas like Zone X, where localized flash flooding can still generate property damage and insurance claims.
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 1 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 2015, with 2 claims and $0 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Johnson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 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 And Flooding | May 21, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 5, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 24, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
56 since 1996: 53 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 24, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 4, 2022 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 28, 2025. Heavy rains impacted portions of the state along a narrow corridor oriented from northwest Arkansas, to central Arkansas, into portions of southeast Arkansas.
Flash Flood · Sep 23, 2025. A stationary front across northern Arkansas and an approaching outflow boundary from the northwest led to the development of an MCS which led many areas receiving rainfall via training and multiple accounts of flash flooding.
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.
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 Johnson 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.