280 flood insurance claims·$6.7M 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 DeSoto 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 dominates the flood character of DeSoto County, accounting for 72 events and one death over the last 30 years out of 85 total recorded flood events. Severe weather patterns drive these risks, as demonstrated by a significant multi-day storm event in December 2024 and a large multi-hazard event in April 2025 that produced record flooding, tornadoes, and heavy training storms across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Properties in designated Zone A account for 131 claims with an average payout of $31,533 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X account for 119 claims with an average payout of $29,363 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. An additional 30 claims were recorded in Zone UNKNOWN, averaging $4,985 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in both high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X should pay close attention to these flood patterns, as both zones experience substantial insurance claims and significant average water depths during heavy rain events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of DeSoto County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
131 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 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 2014, with 57 claims and $2.2M 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.
27 NOAA storm reports from DeSoto County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 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 | Jan 10, 2020 |
| Flooding | May 3, 2011 |
| Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
85 since 1996: 72 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. The front eventually sagged south back into the Mid-South during the early morning hours of April 5th. Strong low-level moisture transport into the frontal zone resulted in heavy rain and training storms across northern sections of the Mid-South, mainly north of I-40. A bow echo developed along and just south of the slowly advancing front. This feature crossed the entire forecast area producing 13 tornadoes, inclu…
Flash Flood · Apr 3, 2025. A significant multi-hazard, multi-day event occurred across the Mid-South from April 2, 2025, to April 8, 2025, producing 35 tornadoes, record flooding, and numerous reports of damaging winds and large hail. A large upper-level trough covered the Western U.S. in early April. A significant piece of energy rotated around the base of the trough and ejected into the Southern Plains and the Middle-Upper Mississippi Va…
Flash Flood · Dec 28, 2024. A potent shortwave trough rounded the base of a longwave trough through the Mid-South during the afternoon hours. In response to the waves, an upper level disturbance aimed for the Mid-South and crossed during the evening hours. Plentiful shear was available, but surface based instability was lacking to suppress storm development before reaching super intense levels. A bit of clearing skies, and unseasonably warm…
Flash Flood · Jul 25, 2024. A broad upper trough extended from the Great Lakes to northeast Texas. An upper-level disturbance moving through the Mid-South ignited convection across the Memphis metropolitan area during the late morning hours on July 25, 2024. A very moist airmass was in place across the region with anomalous precipitable water values of over 2 inches. The thunderstorms were slow moving resulting in heavy rainfall and flash fl…
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 DeSoto 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.