26 flood insurance claims·$455,466 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 Attala County, Mississippi. 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 summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall systems dominates the flood risk profile in Attala County, MS, according to NOAA storm records from the last 30 years. NOAA data shows 29 flash flood events alongside single occurrences of flooding and tropical storms, plus two hurricane events. Recent examples include a slow-moving storm system that produced significant flooding, homes, and roads flooded across central and northern Mississippi in June 2021, and tropical storm conditions from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that brought high winds and downed trees in August 2021. An upper-level trough also triggered severe storms, hail, and flooding in June 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in high-risk Zone A should pay the most attention, accounting for 11 claims with an average payout of $21,651 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Residents in moderate-to-low risk zones—including Zone X, Shaded Zone X, Unshaded Zone X, and Unknown zones—have also filed claims, with average payouts ranging from $6,122 to $23,999 and average recorded water depths of 1 to 2 inches.
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 8 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 2001, with 10 claims and $175,024 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Tornadoes and Severe Storms 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Attala County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes. | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 10, 2020 |
| Hurricane Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
| Tropical Storm Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 29 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 10, 2020 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 30, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2017 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2023. An upper-level shortwave trough moving east through the Central Plains initiated a few clusters of thunderstorms that spread into Mississippi during the morning of June 18th. With an unstable air mass and strong jet stream over the region, these storms became severe and produced hail and damaging wind through the morning. An additional round of severe storms developed during the evening of the 18th and into the mo…
Tropical Storm · Aug 30, 2021. Major hurricane Ida made landfall as a strong category four hurricane around 11:55am on August 29 near Grand Isle, LA. It then moved very slowly north through south central Louisiana and into Mississippi on August 30. It then turned northeast and moved across the Jackson metro area as a tropical storm and into northeast Mississippi as a tropical depression through the early morning of August 31. Ida brought tropic…
Flood · Jun 10, 2021. A slow moving storm system over the central United States produced another few rounds of thunderstorms with severe weather and flooding rains. Significant flooding occurred over portions of central and northern Mississippi, with many homes and roads flooded across the region.
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2021. A slow moving storm system over the central United States produced another few rounds of thunderstorms with severe weather and flooding rains. Significant flooding occurred over portions of central and northern Mississippi, with many homes and roads flooded across the region.
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 Attala 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.