37 flood insurance claims·$239,057 paid·9 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 Copiah 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 heavy rainfall events dominates the local flood hazard profile in Copiah County, MS. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 40 flash flood events, alongside 4 tropical storms, 2 hurricanes, 1 tropical depression, and 1 general flood. A notable recent event occurred in January 2024, when an upper-level trough of low pressure combined with a moist air mass to produce training showers, heavy rain, and widespread flooding across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program historical claims data reflects varying impacts across different zones. Properties designated in Zone A account for 14 claims with an average payout of $14,323 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Properties in Zone UNKNOWN account for 19 claims with an average payout of $2,990 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X accounts for 4 claims with an average payout of $4,006 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners and real estate professionals should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A and unmapped or unknown flood zones, as these areas have experienced the most frequent and costly insurance claims related to heavy rain and flash flooding.
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 2 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 8 claims and $11,251 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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Copiah County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 9 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 |
| Hurricane Delta | Oct 7, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 10, 2020 |
| Hurricane Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
| Tropical Storm Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2024 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 11, 2024 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 24, 2024. With an upper-level trough of low pressure situated over Central Plains and a very moist air mass extending north through the Mississippi River Valley, training showers and thunderstorms produced heavy rain and flooding over parts of Mississippi.
Flash Flood · Jan 24, 2024. With an upper-level trough of low pressure situated over Central Plains and a very moist air mass extending north through the Mississippi River Valley, training showers and thunderstorms produced heavy rain and flooding over parts of Mississippi.
Flash Flood · May 17, 2024. A band of heavy rain developed during the morning of May 17th and caused flash flooding across portions of Mississippi.
Flash Flood · Feb 11, 2024. Severe thunderstorms occurred across portions of Mississippi along a stalled frontal boundary that had settled into the area.
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 Copiah 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.