1,003 flood insurance claims·$9.4M paid·5 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 Madison 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 dominates the flood risk profile in Madison County, Mississippi, accounting for 104 out of 117 total flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database, alongside 8 general floods, 3 hurricanes, and 2 tropical storms.
Recent occurrences illustrate this severe weather pattern. In January 2024, training showers and thunderstorms fueled by a moist air mass produced heavy rain and flooding. This was followed in April 2024 by a line of severe thunderstorms that brought heavy rain, hail, wind damage, and a tornado across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims concentrated heavily in Zone A with 761 claims averaging an 11,196 dollar payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. However, properties in Zone X recorded higher average payouts of 24,973 dollars with an average water depth of 9 inches across 133 claims. Homeowners in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A, as well as properties located in Zone X, should pay close attention to their flood risk given these recorded claim histories and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Madison County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
831 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 178 claims and $621,126 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.
51 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 5 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes. | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Hurricane Delta | Oct 7, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2014 |
| Hurricane Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
| Tropical Storm Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
117 since 1996: 104 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 25, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 10, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 8, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 13, 2022 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 25, 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.
Flood · Apr 10, 2024. A line of severe thunderstorms produced significant wind damage, heavy rain, hail, and a tornado as it crossed from Northeast Louisiana into Mississippi during the evening of April 9th. Subsequent heavy rain and storms continued into the daytime of April 10th.
Flash Flood · Apr 10, 2024. A line of severe thunderstorms produced significant wind damage, heavy rain, hail, and a tornado as it crossed from Northeast Louisiana into Mississippi during the evening of April 9th. Subsequent heavy rain and storms continued into the daytime of April 10th.
Flash Flood · Aug 24, 2022. A low pressure system spinning over northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rain to Mississippi August 24th through 25th. This resulted in widespread flooding of roads, homes, and businesses around the state.
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 Madison 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.