994 flood insurance claims·$19.7M paid·7 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 Bolivar 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 thunderstorms and heavy rain dominates the historical flood event mix in Bolivar County, MS, accounting for 52 out of 61 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside lesser impacts from general floods, tropical systems, and hurricanes. Recent occurrences documented by NOAA include strong severe storms that produced flash flooding from the evening of April 5th into the morning of April 6th, as well as isolated severe thunderstorms that developed overnight and into the morning of March 15th.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood risks extend beyond high-risk zones. Zone A has experienced the highest impact with 659 claims averaging a payout of $28,224 and an average recorded water depth of 24 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 86 claims with an average payout of $30,545 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches, and properties with an unknown zone recorded 215 claims averaging $6,554 with an average recorded water depth of 8 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which carry the heaviest concentration of claims and deeper water inundation, while remaining aware that properties in lower-risk zones like Zone X also experience damaging water depths and financial losses.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Bolivar County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
693 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 18 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 2011, with 201 claims and $9.9M paid, the year of 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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Bolivar County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 7 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 | Apr 12, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jan 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 9, 2016 |
| Flooding | May 3, 2011 |
| Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 52 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2025 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2022 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 14, 2022 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Apr 13, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Tropical Depression | Aug 30, 2021 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2025. A typical summer pattern allowed for scattered afternoon storms. A few instances of damaging winds and localized flash flooding occurred.
Flash Flood · Mar 15, 2025. Isolated severe thunderstorms developed across portions of Mississippi in the overnight hours of March 14th. Coverage of severe storms increased into the morning of the 15th before a squall line developed and moved across the area.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. On the evening of April 5th into the morning of April 6th, strong to severe storms produced tornadoes, damaging winds and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2022. A slow moving thunderstorm on the evening of July 29th resulted in flash flooding in the city of Cleveland in Bolivar County.
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 Bolivar 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.