135,664 flood insurance claims·$3.5B paid·28 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 Jefferson 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 severe weather and thunderstorms dominates the historical flood profile of Jefferson Parish, supported by 88 recorded flash flood events alongside significant tropical storm, storm surge, and hurricane activity over the last 30 years. NOAA records document widespread flash flooding caused by slow-moving storms on April 21, 2025, when a stalling cold front dropped efficient, long-duration rainfall that quickly overwhelmed the urban landscape.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 92,171 filings, an average payout of $42,029, and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone V properties experienced an average recorded water depth of 13 inches with 3,174 claims. Meanwhile, various Zone X designations account for 19,541 total claims with average water depths of 2 to 3 inches and average payouts ranging from $14,475 to $24,249.
Coastal properties, homes located in high-risk Zone A and Zone V areas, and properties within Zone X with a history of shallow water accumulation should pay the closest attention to flood risk and mitigation requirements.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Jefferson Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
115,230 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 2005, with 65,911 claims and $2.7B paid, the year of Tropical Storm Cindy, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
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.
85 NOAA storm reports from Jefferson Parish describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Louisiana flood stories →
50 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 28 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Francine | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Hurricane Francine | Sep 9, 2024 |
| Seawater Intrusion | Sep 20, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Nicholas | Sep 12, 2021 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
159 since 1996: 88 flash floods, 12 river or area floods and 28 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 21, 2025 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 21, 2025 | $3,500 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 21, 2025 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2025. A primed microburst environment was in place on July 30, 2025, as hot and humid conditions combined with a weak surface low pressure across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Numerous severe thunderstorms developed through the afternoon. In Marrero, Jefferson Parish, thunderstorm winds knocked down a powerline, while additional wind damage in Hammond brought down multiple trees, including one onto a pow…
Flash Flood · Apr 21, 2025. On the afternoon of April 21st, a cold front approaching the region began to stall over central Louisiana as upper-level support and steering flow shifted northeastward. With the front losing its dynamical push, storms developed ahead of it across the New Orleans area and became slow-moving due to the lack of steering flow. These storms produced efficient, long-duration rainfall over the city, and the urban landsc…
Flash Flood · May 9, 2025. A surface low developed in the northwestern Gulf and tracking along the Louisiana coastline on May 9th. As moisture surged northward, training along the leading edge of an appendant warm front created a setup conducive for training of heavy rainfall. Flash flooding occurred across various portions of New Orleans Metro.
Flash Flood · Aug 30, 2024. An upper level centered over Texas began driving moisture into the local area a couple days prior to this event. By the 30th, the atmospheric moisture content had reached values near the record for this time of year. Storms that developed in this environment were able to tap into this moisture to produce quite heavy rainfall and when combined with slow storm movement, produced flash flooding over New Orleans.
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 Jefferson 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.