27 flood insurance claims·$76,542 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 Lincoln County, Oklahoma. 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 heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Lincoln County, accounting for 25 events and 2 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 9 standard flood events and 1 death. Recent severe weather outbreaks have produced significant flash flooding concerns, including events in May 2024 and April 2025 driven by heavy rainfall, repeated rounds of convection, and upper-level jet streaks.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate claims across multiple zones, with the highest concentration and payouts occurring in unmapped or unknown zones. Specifically, Zone UNKNOWN recorded 21 claims with an average payout of $4,509 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $6,169 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X recorded 4 claims averaging $1,367 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the most attention to properties in unmapped or unknown flood zones, as well as areas prone to rapid flash flooding during severe convective weather.
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 1 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 1979, with 11 claims and $14,936 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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Lincoln County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
45 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Chandler Fire | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Logan Fire | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Wildfires And Straight-line Winds | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Nov 2, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 25, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Oct 26, 2020 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | $50,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Jul 21, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jun 27, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 30, 2025. Multiple rounds of severe convection and flooding occurred from the predawn hours of the 29th into morning hours of the 30th. The most significant round of severe thunderstorm activity occurred across portions of western-north Texas on the evening of the 29th, where intense supercell thunderstorms produced very large hail, damaging wind gusts and a pair of significant (EF-2+) tornadoes. Significant flash flooding…
Flood · Jul 21, 2024. A weak upper system pivoted across the Central Plains on the 20th and 21st. Multiple rounds of disorganized convection occurred from the evening of the 20th into the morning of the 21st. A few thunderstorms briefly became strong to severe, yielding reports of thunderstorm wind damage and hail.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2024. A significant severe weather outbreak, including ten (10) tornadoes, impacted northern and central portions of the WFO Norman Forecast Area during the evening of the 6th into the early morning hours of the 7th. The synoptic pattern across the western half of the Continental United States favored a significant severe weather episode across the region, with a powerful (110-120 knot) upper-level jet streak ejecting a…
Flash Flood · Jun 28, 2021. A very moist airmass and slow moving storms led to a multi-day heavy rainfall event for much of the area. 6 to 8+ inches fell in a swath from southwest OK northeast along the I-44 corridor. Several storms also produced isolated severe weather with hail and strong winds reported.
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 Lincoln 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.