4,716 flood insurance claims·$70.7M 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 Hinds 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 storms and heavy rain dominates the historical flood profile of Hinds County, accounting for 197 out of 211 total flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database. Tropical systems, hurricanes, and general floods make up the remaining occurrences. Recent events illustrate this hazard, including severe storms that produced flash flooding on April 6, 2025, and a heavy rainstorm on July 31, 2025, that caused flash flooding on the north side of the Jackson area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage occurs across multiple zones, with the highest concentration of claims occurring in high-risk areas. Specifically, Zone A accounts for 3,115 claims with an average payout of $21,100 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN recorded 581 claims with an average payout of $15,350 and an average water depth of 4 inches, while Zone X properties logged 342 claims with an average payout of $23,091 and an average water depth of 8 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and unmapped or unknown zones, as these areas experience the highest volume of insurance claims and recurring water damage.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Hinds County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
3,791 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 4 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 1983, with 1,458 claims and $22.4M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
87 NOAA storm reports from Hinds County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 8, 2024 |
| Water Crisis | Aug 30, 2022 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
211 since 1996: 197 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2025 | $12,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 4, 2025 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A heavy rainstorm developed over Jackson and caused flash flooding on the north side of the Jackson area.
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2025. Scattered afternoon storms developed each day and produced a few instances of wind damage.
Flash Flood · May 17, 2025. Severe storms produced damaging winds and hail across north central Mississippi.
Flash Flood · Apr 6, 2025. On the evening of April 5th into the morning of April 6th, strong to severe storms produced tornadoes, damaging winds and flash flooding.
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 Hinds 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.