127 flood insurance claims·$746,031 paid·5 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 Pemiscot County, Missouri. 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.
River overflow along the Mississippi and flash flooding dominate the flood history of Pemiscot County, supported by NOAA records showing 13 flash flood events, 3 flood events, and 1 tropical storm over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall, slow-moving storm systems, and spring snowmelt drive these hazards. For example, a slow-moving storm system caused extensive areal and river flooding on February 11–12, 2019, while a combination of heavy rain and northern snowmelt produced record-breaking flooding on the Mississippi River in May 2011 that closed roads and flooded homes and businesses.
NFIP claims data demonstrates that properties situated in FEMA Zone A have experienced the highest concentration of vulnerability, recording 101 claims with an average payout of $10,409 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded an average payout of $10,584 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while shaded Zone X properties recorded an average payout of $8,451 with an average water depth of 8 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A and river-adjacent areas should pay the most attention to flood risk, along with properties in shaded Zone X areas where average recorded water depths during past claims reached 8 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Pemiscot County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
109 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 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 1983, with 16 claims and $93,243 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Pemiscot County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 10, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 3, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 11, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
17 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 11, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 8, 2012 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 24, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2011 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2011 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 11, 2019. A slow moving storm system in the Lower Mississippi Valley produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding, extensive areal and river flooding of adjacent areas over portions of Bootheel of Missouri on February 11th and 12th.
Flood · Feb 21, 2015. Melting snow and sleet from recent winter storms combined with heavy rain to produce isolated flooding of low lying areas across parts of the Missouri Bootheel on February 21, 2015. A few roads were closed.
Flash Flood · Mar 8, 2012. A slow moving cold front pushed across the Missouri Bootheel during the afternoon of March 8, 2012. Showers and a few thunderstorms developed along and behind the front dumping a couple inches of rain across the area. Isolated flash flooding occurred as a result of the heavy rain.
Flash Flood · Feb 24, 2011. A warm front pushed north from the gulf coast and stalled across northern sections of the Mid-South during the early morning hours on February 24th. Widespread showers and thunderstorms developed along the stalled front producing very heavy rain and flash flooding. Late that afternoon and evening a cold front pushed across the Mid-South. An intense squall line developed in advance of the front with widespread dama…
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 Pemiscot 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.