11,325 flood insurance claims·$707.7M paid·15 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 Jackson 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.
Jackson County experiences a flood risk profile where flash flooding from severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates over the last 30 years, complemented by storm surges, tropical systems, and general flooding. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including heavy rainfall and flash flooding that covered roads and flooded apartment units on July 1, 2025, as well as convective storm systems that produced wind damage and tornadoes on April 6, 2025, and March 30, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, highlighting distinct risks for property owners. Zone A properties account for the highest claim volume with 7,268 filings averaging $71,315 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Zone V properties experience the deepest average flooding at 23 inches across 263 claims, with an average payout of $87,068. Meanwhile, various designations within Zone X collectively account for thousands of claims, including Shaded Zone X properties where 803 claims yielded an average payout of $107,068 with an average recorded water depth of 17 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in high-risk coastal and riverine areas, specifically Zone V and Zone A, as well as properties within Zone X designations where significant flood claims and standing water depths have also been recorded.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
19% of Jackson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
9,275 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 14 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 2005, with 5,414 claims and $627.0M paid, the year of Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Katrina.
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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Jackson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
36 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 15 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 |
| Hurricane Zeta | Oct 28, 2020 |
| Hurricane Delta | Oct 7, 2020 |
| Hurricane Sally | Sep 14, 2020 |
| Hurricane Marco And Tropical Storm Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Hurricane Nate | Oct 6, 2017 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
43 since 1996: 36 flash floods, 2 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 30, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 28, 2024 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 27, 2024 | $15,000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jun 16, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 30, 2025. A weak mid level disturbance moved across the northern Gulf Coast on March 30th. This, combined with sufficient low level moisture as well as low level shear, aided in the development of a few severe thunderstorms that produced two weak tornadoes.
Flash Flood · Apr 6, 2025. On the afternoon and evening of April 6th, a cold front tied to a low pressure system over the Tennessee Valley swept through the region, triggering a broken quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) in an environment of unstable air and modest wind shear. The QLCS reached peak strength as it moved into coastal Mississippi, where it produced additional wind damage and a brief tornado before exiting into Alabama.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2025. Strong to severe thunderstorms impacted the Mississippi Gulf Coast and adjacent waters on July 1, 2025, as a cold front moved into a hot and humid airmass. Over land, storms produced damaging wind gusts up to 76 mph at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, resulting in downed trees, large branches, and power lines across Harrison County. Heavy rainfall also caused flash flooding in Harrison and Jackson Counties,…
Flash Flood · Dec 28, 2024. On December 27, 2024, Jackson County, Mississippi, experienced a significant flash flood event as a slow-moving frontal boundary, combined with a deep tropical moisture feed from the Gulf of Mexico, produced excessive rainfall rates. A nearly stationary area of training thunderstorms resulted in rainfall totals of 8 to 10 inches, overwhelming drainage systems and leading to widespread flash flooding. A Flash Flood…
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 Jackson 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.