3 flood insurance claims·$798 paid·2 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 Benton 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.
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 1980, with 1 claims and $518 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Benton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 1, 2010 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Nov 24, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
7 since 1996: 6 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 27, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2010 | $750,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 29, 2005 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2004 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 10, 2002 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 22, 1999 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2014. A stalled front was located across North Mississippi during the evening hours of June 8th, 2014 into the early morning hours of June 9th, 2014. A few showers and thunderstorms developed along the front during the evening. Some storms became severe producing large hail and damaging winds. A second round of activity developed by late evening into the early morning hours as a shortwave moved across the region. A larg…
Flash Flood · Apr 27, 2011. A stationary front remained draped across Southern Missouri into Western Kentucky from April 24th, 2011 into April 25th, 2011. A very warm and unstable atmosphere was in place across the Mid-South ahead of the front. A low pressure system developed along the front and interacted with the unstable environment which helped produce several rounds of severe storms into the evening of April 26th, 2011. As a result of t…
Flash Flood · May 2, 2010. An upper level disturbance slowly approached the Mid-South during the evening of April 30th, 2010 as a cold front became stationary to the west. This pattern remained in place through the evening hours of May 2nd, 2010. South to southwest winds pumped warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and created a very unstable atmosphere. Showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the front during the early eve…
Tropical Storm · Aug 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina had weakened to tropical storm strength when it reached north Mississippi. An electrical transformer was blown down an a house in Oxford (Lafayette County). Some awnings were ripped off in Ripley (Tippah County).Several buildings were damaged in Calhoun County due to the winds. Numerous trees and power lines along with some telephone poles were blown down. Some trees fell on cars, mobile homes an…
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 Benton 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.