246 flood insurance claims·$2.6M paid·8 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 Simpson 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 weather events dominates the flood risk in Simpson County, accounting for 37 out of 50 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside general floods, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Recent events illustrate this hazard, including a January 24, 2024 flash flood driven by training showers and thunderstorms, and flash flooding caused by heavy rain bands on May 17, 2024. Additionally, Tropical Storm Francine produced strong wind damage and heavy rainfall as it moved across central Mississippi on September 12, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood impacts span multiple zones, with the vast majority of historical claims concentrated in Zone A, which recorded 206 claims with an average payout of $13,281 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties located in Zone UNKNOWN recorded 23 claims with an average payout of $3,901 and an average water depth of 3 inches, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $4,257 and an average water depth of 14 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents working in Zone A and unshaded Zone X properties should pay the most attention to flood risk, as these areas have experienced the highest frequency of claims and significant average water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Simpson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
219 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 1990, with 56 claims and $407,259 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Simpson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 8 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 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Delta | Oct 7, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 22, 2020 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 26, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2014 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
50 since 1996: 37 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2024 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Aug 25, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2021 | $7,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 24, 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.
Flash Flood · May 17, 2024. A band of heavy rain developed during the morning of May 17th and caused flash flooding across portions of Mississippi.
Flash Flood · Sep 12, 2024. Tropical Storm Francine made landfall in southern Louisiana on the evening of September 11th, 2024. The weakening storm produced strong wind damage as it moved across central Mississippi the morning of September 12th, 2024.
Flood · Aug 25, 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 Simpson 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.