12 flood insurance claims·$147,131 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 Yell 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.
Yell County experiences a flood risk dominated by river flooding and flash flooding, driven by 85 flood events resulting in 2 deaths and 47 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. In January 2025, a slowly lifting warm front dropped heavy rainfall that caused flash flooding across central and northern Arkansas, while river flooding occurred on the Petit Jean River at Danville, continuing from late January into February. Additionally, heavy rainfall over a multiday period in April 2025 brought prolonged flooding to multiple rivers across the state.
NFIP claims data shows historical payouts across different zones, including Zone A with an average payout of $19,979 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch; Zone X unshaded with an average payout of $3,999 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch; and Zone X shaded with an average payout of $9,630 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Properties located near rivers and within designated Special Flood Hazard Areas should pay the closest attention to these recurring flood and flash flood risks.
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 1998, with 3 claims and $41,507 paid.
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.
42 NOAA storm reports from Yell County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arkansas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 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 | Apr 26, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 7, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Associated Flooding | Apr 14, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
132 since 1996: 47 flash floods and 85 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Dec 27, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 26, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 30, 2025. The Fouche LaFave River at Gravelly entered minor flood stage in late January and additionally would crest in late January.
Flood · Jan 30, 2025. River flooding took place on the Petit Jean River at Danville in late January. The river would enter minor flood stage and a crest would occur in late January, then the river flooding would continue into the month of 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 · 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 Yell 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.