22 flood insurance claims·$691,475 paid
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 Pontotoc 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 severe weather events dominates the flood risk profile in Pontotoc County, accounting for 46 out of 52 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 6 general flood events. This risk is driven by slow-moving thunderstorms and high atmospheric moisture, as seen during widespread storms on June 3, 2025, and June 30, 2025, which caused localized flash flooding. Additional flooding occurred on May 6, 2025, when heavy thunderstorms dropped rain on ground that was already saturated from previous precipitation.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims have been filed across multiple zones, with the highest concentration and severity occurring in Zone X. Specifically, Zone X recorded 12 claims with an average payout of $75,788 and an average recorded water depth of 23 inches. Zone A recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $19,257 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $6,989 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $3,214 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone X, as well as those located in designated high-risk areas like Zone A, should pay the closest attention to these persistent flash flood and heavy rainfall 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 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 2015, with 9 claims and $70,494 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, 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.
18 NOAA storm reports from Pontotoc County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1970.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 25, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 16, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 5, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 28, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 24, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
52 since 1996: 46 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 6, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 23, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2025. Widespread strong-to-severe thunderstorms developed along a quasi-stationary boundary across central and southern Oklahoma and western-north Texas during the evening of the 30th. In addition to a measured severe-caliber wind gust, the combination of high moisture content in the lower atmosphere and slow-moving thunderstorms led to a few localized areas of flash flooding across southern Oklahoma.
Flood · May 6, 2025. A round of heavy thunderstorms impacted southern Oklahoma during the morning of the 6th, resulting in additional flooding across areas already saturated from previous heavy rainfall.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2025. Widespread severe thunderstorms, organized along a passing cold front, impacted much of Oklahoma and western-north Texas on the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. In addition to reports and observations of thunderstorm wind damage and large hail, six tornadoes occurred across the WFO Norman Forecast Area. Flash flooding also occurred during the evening hours across southeastern Oklahoma due to repeated rounds of he…
Flash Flood · Apr 27, 2024. A widespread, long-duration and historic severe weather and tornado outbreak occurred from the late morning through late evening on the 27th. In all, 32 tornadoes affected portions of the WFO Norman Forecast Area, the third most in a single day during the period of reliable record. This included six significant (EF-2+) tornadoes and one violent (EF-4) tornado that struck Marietta (Love County). ||Synoptically, a s…
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 Pontotoc 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.