292 flood insurance claims·$4.3M paid·7 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 Lauderdale 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 rainfall dominates the flood risk in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, accounting for 87 of the 102 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside river floods, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Historical NOAA storm data illustrates this recurring threat, such as in March 2024 when training thunderstorms produced flash flooding across central Mississippi and the Interstate 20 corridor, and in April 2025 when heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across several roads west of Meridian.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood losses extend beyond high-risk areas, with claims documented across multiple zones. Zone A leads with 191 claims averaging $23,177 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 58 claims averaging $22,073 with a 7-inch average water depth, Shaded Zone X recorded 13 claims averaging $17,432 with a 3-inch average water depth, Unshaded Zone X recorded 11 claims averaging $6,636 with a 6-inch average water depth, and unknown zones recorded 12 claims averaging $2,152 with a 3-inch average water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in high-risk Zone A, as well as homes situated in Zone X areas where significant insurance claims and standing water depths indicate vulnerability to intense rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Lauderdale County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
221 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 6 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 2003, with 66 claims and $1.4M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods.
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.
41 NOAA storm reports from Lauderdale County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jan 20, 2017 |
| Hurricane Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
| Tropical Storm Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
102 since 1996: 87 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 8, 2024 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2023 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 23, 2025. Several storms produced quarter size hail and heavy rains which resulted in flash flooding across several roads west of Meridian.
Flash Flood · Dec 27, 2024. As an upper-level disturbance crossed from the Southern Plains into the Midwest, severe thunderstorms developed over portions of Mississippi. Wind damage and a few tornadoes resulted from these storms.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2024. Localized heavy rainfall fell across the area and produced some flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2024. Localized heavy rainfall fell across the area and produced some 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 Lauderdale 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.