1,652 flood insurance claims·$17.4M paid·21 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 Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. 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 from slow-moving storms and tropical systems dominates the flood risk profile in Avoyelles Parish, supported by 22 flash flood events, five tropical storms, five general floods, and three hurricanes over the last 30 years. Recent events include a slow-moving storm system that brought multiple days of heavy rain in January 2024, and a stalled frontal boundary interacting with moisture from decaying Tropical Storm Rafael in November 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims spanning multiple zones, with the highest volume in Zone A at 1,087 claims averaging $9,768 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties categorized as Zone X have also experienced significant financial impact, with 73 claims averaging $43,959 and an average water depth of 3 inches, alongside 170 claims in unshaded Zone X averaging $29,495 with an average water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and unshaded Zone X areas, where claim volumes and average payout amounts indicate substantial flood exposure during heavy rainfall and tropical weather events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Avoyelles Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,274 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 1979, with 306 claims and $1.1M 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Avoyelles Parish describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Louisiana flood stories →
41 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 21 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Francine | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Nicholas | Sep 12, 2021 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Zeta | Oct 26, 2020 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Nov 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 22, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 6, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 26, 2020 | $20.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 9, 2020 | $40.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 24, 2024. A slow moving storm system affected Central and South Louisiana with multiple days of heavy rain and a few severe storms.
Flash Flood · Nov 9, 2024. A frontal boundary moved into the region and stalled while Tropical Storm Rafael meandered in the gulf. Moisture from the decaying tropical cyclone streamed north across Louisiana. This produced heavy rain over the area that produced flooding.
Flash Flood · Mar 22, 2022. A cold front and associated short wave moved into the region during the 22nd. Scattered storms developed as lift increased and storms eventually formed a line and moved east across south and central Louisiana. A few locations experienced flash flooding and one storm became severe.
Flash Flood · Sep 6, 2021. A cold front slow moved into the region sparking scattered thunderstorms. The very wet airmass in place allowed storms to produce high rain rates while slowly moving which produced flooding.
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 Avoyelles Parish 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.