Enter any address in Nevada County, Arkansas to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rain events dominates the local flood hazard profile, accounting for the vast majority of recorded flood incidents over the last thirty years alongside limited tropical storm activity.
Severe weather patterns driven by frontal boundaries and strong convection have produced significant localized inundation. For instance, a stationary front and intensifying low-level jet produced flash flooding on April 5, 2025. Another event occurred on December 16, 2024, when a slowly advancing cold front and southerly flow dropped rainfall rates of 1.5 to 1.75 inches per hour across the area. An earlier event was also recorded on May 5, 2022, associated with a surface low and stationary front system.
Historical NFIP claims data shows activity within Zone X, which recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $5,209 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should note that property owners situated in Zone X and those vulnerable to rapid-onset flash flooding during heavy convective storms should pay the closest attention to local weather alerts and drainage conditions.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
30 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Nevada County, Arkansas has recorded 46 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 43 flash floods and 1 river or area floods. The county has received 26 federal disaster declarations, 2 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1979–2026)
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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 24, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| 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 | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Dec 23, 2009 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Dec 16, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 5, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 5, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 27, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 21, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 3, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2015 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Apr 5, 2025
A stationary front extended across portions of Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas during the early morning hours on April 4th, but lifted north into Southeast Oklahoma and Western Arkansas during the day. This was in response to an intensifying low level jet that developed ahead of a large upper trough that extended from the Intermountain West into the Plains, which provided the necessary l...
Flash Flood — Dec 16, 2024
A slowly advancing cold front across Southern Arkansas continued moving southward late into the evening on December 16th. Concurrently, warm sector southerly flow provided weak but sufficient surface convergence just ahead of the cold front. Strong convection with some weak QLCS features generally trained along the boundary/deep-layer moisture interface and was fed upstream by a sector of 1000-...
Flash Flood — May 5, 2022
A surface low was centered over the southern Texas Panhandle with a stationary front extending through southern Oklahoma into southern Arkansas eastward into northern Mississippi. A dry line extended southward from the surface low through west Texas into the Big Bend Country along with a cold front draped southwest from the surface low into southeast New Mexico. Aloft, an upper-level low was in...
Flood — May 5, 2022
A surface low was centered over the southern Texas Panhandle with a stationary front extending through southern Oklahoma into southern Arkansas eastward into northern Mississippi. A dry line extended southward from the surface low through west Texas into the Big Bend Country along with a cold front draped southwest from the surface low into southeast New Mexico. Aloft, an upper-level low was in...
Tropical Storm — Aug 27, 2020
Major Hurricane Laura tracked north northwest across the Central and Northern Gulf of Mexico from the Central Carribean Sea near Cuba, making landfall in Southwest Louisiana near Cameron around 1 am on August 27th as a strong Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph, and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb. Laura remained a hurricane as it tracked north across Southwest a...
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 Nevada 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 Nevada County, Arkansas that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender, or a federally backed loan, 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.