238 flood insurance claims·$2.6M 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 Sharkey 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 driven by heavy rainfall and severe storms dominates the flood profile of Sharkey County, MS, based on NOAA storm event data recording 18 flash floods, 2 general floods, and 2 hurricanes over the last 30 years.
Severe weather impacts are illustrated by events such as the January 2020 flash floods, where a warm front and anomalous moisture dropped 2 to 6 inches of rain onto saturated ground, and the September 2021 flooding produced by heavy rain and thunderstorms as Post-Tropical Cyclone Nicholas drifted over northern Louisiana.
Federal insurance data shows that Zone A properties face the highest risk, accounting for 129 NFIP claims with an average payout of $16,692 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A and areas with unknown zone designations, which recorded 94 claims averaging a payout of $6,354 and an average water depth of 2 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Sharkey County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
139 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 7 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 1979, with 49 claims and $319,271 paid, the year of 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Sharkey County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Mar 24, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Hurricane Delta | Oct 7, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 22, 2019 |
| Flooding | May 3, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 17, 2021 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 14, 2020 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 14, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2018 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2014 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2013 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 10, 2013 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Sep 17, 2021. As Post-Tropical Cyclone Nicholas drifted over northern Louisiana, showers and thunderstorms produced heavy rain across portions of Mississippi. Some of the storms produced localized flooding.
Flash Flood · Jan 14, 2020. A warm front was situated across southern Mississippi during the evening of January 13th. This, combined with a passing disturbance and anomalous moisture, supported numerous thunderstorms and heavy rainfall that produced widespread rainfall between 2 and 6 inches with the heavies corridor right across the central portion of the forecast area. This resulted in widespread flash flooding across the region as this ad…
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2018. As a cold front moved through the region, ample moisture was present for showers and thunderstorms to develop. Many of these storms trained across central Mississippi and over the same locations. This resulted in significant flash flooding over portions of the area.
Flash Flood · Feb 22, 2018. A cold front stalled across the western portions of the ArkLaMiss region. Ahead of this, a few storms produced hail and damaging winds. As the front remained stalled, several disturbances moved along it and brought heavy rainfall to the region. This prolonged period of rain resulted in flash flooding across mainly the Delta.
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 Sharkey 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.