275 flood insurance claims·$7.7M 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 Saline 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 dominates the flood history of Saline County, accounting for 80 of the 138 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 53 general floods and 5 tropical system events. This risk is driven by heavy multiday rainfall, such as a severe weather event in April 2025 that produced widespread flash flooding and river flooding from half a foot to over one foot of rain across the state. River overflow also impacts the area, including the Saline River at Benton reaching minor flood stage in January 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, highlighting distinct risk profiles for property owners. Zone A recorded the highest volume with 157 claims averaging a $27,304 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced higher average water depths of 16 inches across 60 claims with an average payout of $34,197, and Zone X unshaded properties saw 29 claims with an average payout of $74,545 and an average water depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents near rivers, within mapped high-risk zones, and in moderate-to-low risk areas experiencing deep localized water accumulation should pay the closest attention to these historical flood patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
19% of Saline County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
194 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 4 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 2009, with 43 claims and $1.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
63 NOAA storm reports from Saline County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 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 | Apr 26, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 25, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 27, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
138 since 1996: 80 flash floods and 53 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 23, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 30, 2025. The Saline River at Benton would enter minor flood stage in late January. The river at this site would experience a crest before quickly falling back below flood stage before the month of January ended.
Flood · Feb 15, 2025. Widespread heavy rains brought flooding to portions of the Ouachita, Saline, Fouche LaFave, Black, White, and Little Red Rivers during the middle of February.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Severe weather, including widespread flash flooding occurred over a five day period across the entire state. This multiday event featured tornadoes, damaging winds, and very large hail. But by far and large, flash flooding and river flooding were the biggest impacts taken away from this unsettled period of weather due to total rainfall amounts between half a foot to over one foot in many locations.
Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Heavy rainfall over a multiday period brought flooding to many rivers across Arkansas. Points along the White, Black, Cache, and Ouachita Rivers remained in flood through the remainder of the month.
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 Saline 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.