333 flood insurance claims·$6.5M paid·6 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 Coahoma 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the historical flood event mix in Coahoma County, accounting for 18 of the 25 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 5 general floods and 2 tropical storm events.
Severe weather patterns have repeatedly driven these impacts, as seen in June 2021 when a stalled upper low produced heavy rainfall, and in July 2014 when a convective complex brought flash flooding to Northwest Mississippi. Regional weather systems and spring river influences also contribute, as demonstrated in May 2011 when heavy rains combined with northern snowmelt to produce record-breaking flooding on the Mississippi River, closing roads and flooding homes, businesses, and farmland.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest concentration and severity occurring in Zone A, which recorded 190 claims with an average payout of $32,077 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. Homeowners and properties located in Zone A should pay the most attention to flood risk, though claims have also been filed in unshaded Zone X (85 claims, average payout of $10,428, average depth of 5 inches) and Zone X (29 claims, average payout of $15,795, average depth of 9 inches).
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
32% of Coahoma County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
279 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 11 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 2016, with 51 claims and $3.3M paid, the year of 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Coahoma County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 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, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 22, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 9, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Flooding | May 3, 2011 |
| Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $150,000 |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2016 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 20, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2011 | $750,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2009 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2021. A stubborn upper low remained stalled across the area on June 10, 2021. This feature continued to interact with a very moist air mass across the region to produce very heavy rainfall amounts across mainly North Mississippi. Significant flash flooding occurred across parts of North Mississippi, especially in Tallahatchie County.
Flood · Mar 10, 2016. A classic heavy rain pattern set up over the Mid-South during the period of March 9th, 2016 to March 13th, 2016. A cold front stretched from Nebraska to Texas on the morning of March 8th. The front moved southeastward and stalled across Southeast Missouri as an upper level low remained stationary over Texas. A very moist atmosphere was in place over the Mid-South south of this boundary. Several weak low pressure c…
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2014. A cold front approached the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening hours of July 23rd, 2014. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the front and eventually evolved into a mesoscale convective complex. The complex brought severe storms into Northwest Mississippi which produced damaging winds and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Apr 20, 2011. A strong area of low pressure moved from the Southern Plains into the Middle Mississippi Valley from April 19th into April 20th. A trailing cold front moved into the Mid-South during the nighttime hours of April 19th resulting in numerous severe storms with large hail and damaging wind. This front slowly moved across the region eventually stalling across North Mississippi on April 20th resulting in more severe sto…
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 Coahoma 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.