7 flood insurance claims·$36,752 paid·2 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 Tippah 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 slow-moving thunderstorms and heavy rain dominates the flood hazard profile in Tippah County, Mississippi. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records document 19 flash flood events alongside one tropical storm and one general flood event.
Severe weather patterns drive these incidents throughout the year. For example, on March 17, 2021, a slow-moving warm front lifted into the region, producing heavy rain and flash flooding alongside severe storms and damaging lightning. Similarly, on February 24, 2018, a strong cold front interacted with an unstable airmass to generate severe weather and localized flooding across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that historical claims are concentrated in specific zones, with Zone A accounting for six claims averaging a $2,523 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X unshaded accounts for one claim with an average payout of $24,136 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A or lower-lying areas prone to sudden storm runoff should pay the most attention to these localized flood risks.
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 2010, with 2 claims and $24,136 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Tippah County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 26, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 1, 2010 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 17, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 24, 2018 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2014 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 4, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 17, 2021. A slow-moving warm front lifted north into the Mid-South during the morning hours of March 17th with numerous showers and thunderstorms. Heavy rain produced some flash flooding and there were a couple of severe weather reports along with a couple of damaging lightning strikes. The front stalled across the area during the day with southern parts of the Mid-South, especially northeast Mississippi, becoming quite uns…
Flash Flood · Feb 24, 2018. A strong cold front interacted with a very unstable airmass across the Midsouth during the afternoon and evening hours of February 24h. All facets of severe weather occurred.
Flash Flood · Jun 8, 2015. Scattered thunderstorms developed in the warm sector ahead of an approaching cold front during the afternoon hours on June 8, 2015. An isolated severe storm with damaging winds occurred in Marshall County. Later that evening a mesoscale convective system developed along and south of Interstate 40 as the cold front pushed into the Mid-South. This caused damaging winds over extreme Southwest Tennessee before pushing…
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2014. A stalled front was located across North Mississippi during the evening hours of June 8th, 2014 into the early morning hours of June 9th, 2014. A few showers and thunderstorms developed along the front during the evening. Some storms became severe producing large hail and damaging winds. A second round of activity developed by late evening into the early morning hours as a shortwave moved across the region. A larg…
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 Tippah 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.