30 flood insurance claims·$332,018 paid·3 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 Bedford County, Tennessee. 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 dominates Bedford County, with NOAA Storm Events Database records showing 36 flash flood events compared to 14 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Historical events illustrate these risks, such as a potent storm system that brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms on March 16, 2025, and a stalled warm front that dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain, causing creeks to overfill their banks on December 7, 2022.
NFIP claim data indicates that homeowners and real estate agents in both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas must evaluate potential hazards. Zone A properties recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $7,588 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced 13 claims with an average payout of $18,171 and a higher average recorded water depth of 20 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $23,385 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $1,900 and an average water depth of 0 inches. Properties outside designated high-risk flood zones frequently experience significant water depths and should maintain careful attention to local drainage and storm patterns.
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 12 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 2003, with 8 claims and $102,856 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Bedford County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2003 |
| Severe Storms And Tornados | Nov 9, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
50 since 1996: 36 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Dec 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Sep 20, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 18, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 6, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 16, 2025. A potent storm system brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms and severe weather to Middle Tennessee on March 15, 2025. The main risk for severe weather was associated with a line of thunderstorms that tracks east across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours. This line produced one EF-1 tornado near Christiana. As this line moved towards the Cumberland Plateau, it strengthened and caused wind da…
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2023. A very strong squall line made its way through Middle Tennessee during the morning and afternoon hours of July 20, 2023. Damaging straight-line winds were the primary threat associated with this line of thunderstorms with wind gusts of 65 to 80 mph common. The most significant damage was reported in Sumner and Wilson counties with numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines received. Meanwhile, training shower…
Flood · Feb 22, 2022. Numerous showers and thunderstorms affected Middle Tennessee on February 22. Some of the storms became severe with a few reports of large hail and wind damage. In addition, heavy rainfall resulted in flooding across several areas of Middle Tennessee. Rainfall totals from February 21 to February 25 ranged from 3 to over 7 inches fell across the area, which led to widespread river flooding on most rivers and streams…
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2022. The largest severe weather event of summer 2022 affected much of Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours on July 12, with numerous severe thunderstorms producing large hail and wind damage. Up to softball size hail was reported in the Chapel Hill area of Marshall County, which is the largest hail reported in Middle Tennessee in many years.
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 Bedford 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.