Enter any address in Little River County, Arkansas to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the dominant flood character in Little River County. Recent examples include a flash flood event on October 4, 2023, where showers and thunderstorms produced rainfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour, and another flash flood on August 12, 2020, triggered by scattered showers and thunderstorms.
Over the past 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data indicates 30 flash flood events and 3 flood events, with the latter resulting in two fatalities. National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone X, areas with moderate flood risk, have experienced claims averaging $40,752 with an average water depth of 1.5 feet.
Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents should pay close attention to flood risk, particularly those residing in or near flood-prone areas, as indicated by the frequency of flash flood events and the documented claims in moderate-risk zones.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
18 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Little River County, Arkansas has recorded 34 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 30 flash floods and 3 river or area floods. The county has received 23 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1972–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Hurricane Laura | Hurricane | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 27, 2009 |
| Tropical Storm Ike | Severe Storm | Sep 13, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Mar 18, 2008 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | 2.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 1, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Nov 28, 2015 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 25, 2015 | 0.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flash Flood | May 11, 2015 | 20.00K |
Flash Flood — Oct 4, 2023
A prolonged period of heavy rainfall occurred on October 4th across parts of extreme Southwest Arkansas. Showers and thunderstorms with 1-3 inch per hour rainfall rates trained in the vicinity of a warm front, which was draped across the Ark-La-Tex and in adjacent portions of Southeast Oklahoma and Northeast Louisiana. Deep convergence of moisture along the boundary resulted as the core of the ...
Flood — Jun 8, 2021
An upper low pressure system drifted north over Southeast Oklahoma and Western Arkansas during the early morning hours of June 7th, with an upper level disturbance beneath the attendant trough enhancing an area of showers and thunderstorms over Southwest Arkansas. A moist and unstable air mass was in place, with weak steering also present which resulted in slow-moving storms producing locally h...
Flash Flood — May 16, 2020
A slow moving upper level low pressure system drifted east across Central and Eastern Texas during the daytime hours of May 16th. Meanwhile, the attendant surface low pressure system over East Central Texas drifted east into Northeast Texas during the afternoon, with a southerly low level jet allowing for a warm front to mix north into East Texas, extreme Northern Louisiana, into Southern Arkan...
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...
Flash Flood — Mar 1, 2018
A warm, moist, and unstable air mass remained in place across much of the Ark-La-Tex on February 28th, as a warm front quickly returned back north into Southern Kansas and Missouri. A positive tilt upper level trough of low pressure traversed the Southern Plains during the afternoon, thus increasing large scale ascent resulting in showers and thunderstorms becoming numerous during the evening h...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Little River County, Arkansas:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Little River County, Arkansas that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.