48 flood insurance claims·$886,756 paid·3 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 Lawrence 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.
Flooding in Lawrence County is dominated by standard floods and flash floods, with 74 flood events and 45 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years alongside two tropical storms.
Flash flooding occurs during multi-day severe weather periods driven by stationary fronts, warm fronts, and heavy rainfall. For example, a slow-moving warm front brought a significant multi-day rain event that caused flash flooding on January 30, 2025. Later in the year, a stationary front over the Midwest brought ample moisture and moderate to heavy rainfall, resulting in additional flash flooding on June 15, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that risks extend beyond designated high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A experienced 33 claims with an average water depth of 11 inches and an average payout of $20,782. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 11 claims with an average water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $29,970, while properties in Zone UNKNOWN logged 4 claims with an average water depth of 13 inches and an average payout of $1,717. Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents working with properties in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-to-low risk Zone X properties should pay close attention to these historical claim patterns and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Lawrence County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
33 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 10 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 18 claims and $272,903 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.
31 NOAA storm reports from Lawrence County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 3 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 And Tornadoes | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 26, 2020 |
| 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 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
121 since 1996: 45 flash floods and 74 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 28, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 18, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 30, 2025. River flooding was observed at a couple points along the Black River.
Flood · Jan 30, 2025. River flooding would begin in late January and remain going into the month of February. A crest would occur in minor flood stage in late January and the river would remain above flood stage going into February.
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.
Flood · Jun 28, 2025. River flooding was observed at a couple points along the Black River.
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 Lawrence 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.