2 flood insurance claims·$41,848 paid·1 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 Chester 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 and inland flooding events resulting from heavy rainfall and slow-moving frontal systems dominate the flood risk in Chester County, Tennessee. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the past 30 years, the county experienced 18 flash flood events, 5 general flood events, and 1 tropical storm event.
Historical events illustrate these patterns. A prolonged period of heavy rainfall along a slow-moving cold front caused areal flooding and closed roads across West Tennessee on February 22, 2018. Earlier, a multi-day heavy rain pattern from March 9 to March 13, 2016, produced significant moisture and subsequent flooding across the region. Flash flooding was also recorded on March 27, 2021, driven by a warm front and numerous thunderstorms producing heavy rain near the Tennessee and Mississippi line.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program records show limited claims history, including one claim in Zone A with an average payout of $36,126 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and one claim in an unknown zone with an average payout of $5,722 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within designated Zone A areas, where localized heavy downpours and rising waters present the primary documented flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8 NOAA storm reports from Chester County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 1 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 Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 4, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 30, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 15, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
24 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 27, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2018 | $80,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 10, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 3, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 2, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 27, 2021. A warm front lifted north across the Mid-South during the morning hours of March 27th. Numerous thunderstorms resulted in heavy rain near the Tennessee/Mississippi line and some flash flooding along with an isolated damaging wind report. The front continued to lift north during the morning along with the complex of showers of thunderstorms. After a brief break during the early afternoon, thunderstorms started to r…
Flood · Feb 22, 2018. A prolonged period of rainfall was generated along the backside of a slow moving cold front across portions of West Tennessee during the late evening hours of February 21st continuing into February 22nd. Another round of rain moved through parts of West Tennessee during the late evening of February 22 into the morning hours of February 23rd. Areal flooding was common across West Tennessee during this period with m…
Flood · Jun 1, 2018. An upper level disturbance generated a line of severe storms capable of damaging winds across portions of West Tennessee during the early morning hours of June 1st.
Flash Flood · Mar 10, 2016. A classic heavy rain pattern set up over the Mid-South during the period of March 9th, 2016 to March 13th, 2016. A cold front stretched from Nebraska to Texas on the morning of March 8th. The front moved southeastward and stalled across Southeast Missouri as an upper level low remained stationary over Texas. A very moist atmosphere was in place over the Mid-South south of this boundary. Several weak low pressure c…
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 Chester 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.