19 flood insurance claims·$503,825 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 Union 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 storms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood history of Union County, accounting for 28 of the 34 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 4 general floods and 2 tropical storms. NOAA storm records document significant flash flooding events in April 2021, when lines of severe storms pushed across North Mississippi, and in June 2021, when an upper low and mesoscale convective vortex dropped up to 4 inches of rain before sunrise followed by additional rounds of thunderstorms.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond standard high-risk areas. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded the highest impact with 8 claims averaging $52,616 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Standard Zone X properties recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $9,977 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone A properties recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $14,600 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in unshaded Zone X areas, as well as those in designated high-risk Zone A, should pay close attention to historical payout and water depth data when evaluating local property risk.
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 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 2004, with 5 claims and $121,236 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Union County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 22, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 15, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 23, 2010 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 28, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 9, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2019 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2018 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 15, 2025. An upper low over the Central Plains moved into the Upper Mississippi Valley during the evening hours of Friday, March 14, 2025. Increasing moisture advection ahead of an approaching cold front lifted dewpoints into the low to mid 60s. This coupled with increasing height falls and a mid-level 80 knot jet rotating around the main upper low supported severe thunderstorm development. Large looping hodographs, MLCAPE…
Flash Flood · Apr 9, 2021. A warm front lifted north through the Mid-South during the day on April 9th. As a result, moist and unstable air pushed into the region ahead of a potent upper-level disturbance approaching from the Central Plains. A couple of lines of severe storms with large hail ignited and pushed across Northeast Arkansas and West Tennessee during the early evening hours. Another line developed across North Mississippi and rol…
Flash Flood · Jun 8, 2021. An upper low parked over the Mid-South resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms across North Mississippi during the early morning hours of June 8, 2021. Some locations received up to 4 inches of rain before sunrise which set the stage for flash flooding later that morning into the afternoon as a mesoscale convective vortex pushed into the Mid-South. This feature resulted in several areas of showers and thu…
Flood · Feb 22, 2019. An atmospheric river of deep subtropical moisture caused the training of moderate to heavy rainfall over already saturated grounds across a large portion of north Mississippi. This additional rainfall resulted in areal and river flooding as well as some flash flooding during the day of February 22nd.
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 Union 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.