191 flood insurance claims·$1.7M paid·4 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 Sunflower 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 profile of Sunflower County, accounting for 45 of the 48 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside two hurricane events and one general flood.
Severe storms and heavy rain frequently cause significant regional impacts, such as in June 2021 when a slow-moving storm system flooded over 200 homes across Bolivar and Sunflower Counties. Another severe storm sequence produced flash flooding on April 5, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with Zone A recording 94 claims averaging a 6-inch water depth and $10,692 payouts, while Zone X logged 20 claims with an average 2-inch water depth and $28,306 payouts. Zone X unshaded properties recorded 49 claims with an average 3-inch water depth and $5,532 payouts, unknown zones logged 20 claims with an average 3-inch water depth and $7,475 payouts, and Zone X shaded properties registered 8 claims averaging a 3-inch water depth and $4,750 payouts. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and unshaded or shaded Zone X areas should pay the closest attention to these localized flash flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
38% of Sunflower County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
151 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 1991, with 32 claims and $285,374 paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding and 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.
23 NOAA storm reports from Sunflower County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 12, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jan 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 22, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 9, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 45 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2021 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2019 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 22, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 22, 2019 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. On the evening of April 5th into the morning of April 6th, strong to severe storms produced tornadoes, damaging winds and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2021. Afternoon showers and storms developed in a moist airmass. Some of these storms produced efficient rainfall and moved slowly, which resulted in localized flash flooding. Gusty winds also produced localized wind damage in some locations.
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2021. A slow moving storm system over the central United States produced another few rounds of thunderstorms with severe weather and flooding rains. Significant flooding occurred over portions of central and northern Mississippi, with many homes and roads flooded across the region.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2021. A slow moving storm system over the central United States produced another few rounds of thunderstorms with severe weather and flooding rains. Significant flooding occurred over portions of central and northern Mississippi, with many homes and roads flooded across the region.
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 Sunflower 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.