11 flood insurance claims·$78,381 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 Smith 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 history of Smith County, Mississippi, accounting for 39 of the 48 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside impacts from tropical systems. Heavy rainfall events regularly threaten the area, as demonstrated on May 17, 2024, when a band of heavy rain caused flash flooding across the region. A multi-day low pressure system from August 24 through 25, 2022, also brought heavy showers and thunderstorms that produced widespread flooding of roads, homes, and businesses.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims across multiple zones with varying severity. Zone A properties experienced 5 claims with an average payout of $17,341 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X properties recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $7,706 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while properties in Zone UNKNOWN logged 3 claims with an average payout of $437 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A, which shows the highest average claim payouts and water depths, as well as areas susceptible to recurring flash flooding from heavy rainfall.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 3 claims and $63,331 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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Smith County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 7 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. | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 22, 2020 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 26, 2019 |
| Hurricane Isaac | Aug 26, 2012 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
49 since 1996: 39 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2024 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 25, 2021 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 16, 2021 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · 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.
Flash Flood · Aug 30, 2021. Major hurricane Ida made landfall as a strong category four hurricane around 11:55am on August 29 near Grand Isle, LA. It then moved very slowly north through south central Louisiana and into Mississippi on August 30. It then turned northeast and moved across the Jackson metro area as a tropical storm and into northeast Mississippi as a tropical depression through the early morning of August 31. Ida brought tropic…
Tropical Storm · Aug 30, 2021. Major hurricane Ida made landfall as a strong category four hurricane around 11:55am on August 29 near Grand Isle, LA. It then moved very slowly north through south central Louisiana and into Mississippi on August 30. It then turned northeast and moved across the Jackson metro area as a tropical storm and into northeast Mississippi as a tropical depression through the early morning of August 31. Ida brought tropic…
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 Smith 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.