449 flood insurance claims·$4.5M paid·6 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 Tunica 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 and river flooding generated by heavy rainfall and slow-moving frontal systems dominate the flood risk in Tunica County, Mississippi. Over the last 30 years, recorded events include 9 flash floods, 6 general floods resulting in 2 deaths, and 2 tropical storms. Recent notable events include a flash flood in January 2023 caused by moisture transport from a warm front and an approaching cold front, and a prolonged flood event in February 2018 driven by a slow-moving cold front.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate significant historical claims across multiple zones. Properties in Zone UNKNOWN account for 239 claims with an average payout of $3,661 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone A accounts for 191 claims with an average payout of $19,444 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Zone X properties account for 11 claims with an average payout of $57,521 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED properties recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $13,956 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which experienced the highest average water depths, as well as properties in unmapped or unknown zones where historical claims are concentrated.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Tunica County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
199 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 9 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 1983, with 99 claims and $279,113 paid.
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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Tunica County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 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 And Flooding | Mar 9, 2016 |
| Flooding | May 3, 2011 |
| Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| 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.
17 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 3, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2017 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 22, 2017 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Mar 10, 2016 | $1.7M |
| Flash Flood | Apr 27, 2011 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 3, 2025. A significant multi-hazard, multi-day event occurred across the Mid-South from April 2, 2025, to April 8, 2025, producing 35 tornadoes, record flooding, and numerous reports of damaging winds and large hail. A large upper-level trough covered the Western U.S. in early April. A significant piece of energy rotated around the base of the trough and ejected into the Southern Plains and the Middle-Upper Mississippi Va…
Flash Flood · Jan 3, 2023. A warm front lifted northward off the Gulf Coast, causing rapid moisture transport to the Mid-South. In addition, an upper-level trough and associated cold front approached the area. This led to showers in the afternoon and then severe thunderstorms that continued through the overnight hours. Damaging wind, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding were the result.
Flood · Feb 22, 2018. A prolonged period of rainfall was generated along the backside of a slow moving cold front across portions of northwest Mississippi during the late evening hours of February 21st continuing into February 22nd.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2017. The remnants of Harvey tracked across the Mid-South with heavy rain and gusty winds. There were several reports of flash flooding and a few tornadoes.
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 Tunica 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.