26 flood insurance claims·$275,298 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 Hamblen 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 standard flooding from thunderstorms and tropical systems dominate the historical event record in Hamblen County, Tennessee, supported by 14 flash flood events, 12 flood events, and 1 tropical storm over the last 30 years. Notable recent events include catastrophic flash flooding and river flooding from Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024, as well as heavy rainfall driven by a stalled cold front and surface low in February 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Zone A properties recorded 10 claims with an average payout of $11,598 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X registered 9 claims with an average payout of $20,620 and an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 4 claims averaging $23,248 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $1,093 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within both designated high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas, as historical claims and payouts demonstrate that properties outside of primary flood zones also experience significant flood impacts.
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 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 2019, with 4 claims and $85,537 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Hamblen County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
15 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 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 26, 2024 |
| 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 | Apr 16, 1998 |
| Extensive Rainfall And Flash Flooding | Mar 25, 1994 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 28, 2024 | $11.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 24, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | $1.2M |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. Scattered showers and thunderstorms moved through middle and eastern Tennessee during the afternoon of June 6th, ahead of a developing surface low over far western Tennessee and the Missouri Bootheel region. These storms produced some marginally severe hail, damaging winds, and some isolated flooding as well.
Flood · Sep 28, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene caps off a several day heavy rainfall event in association with a stalled closed upper low that drew a stream of tropical moisture into the area on the 25th and 26th. The arrival of Helene on the 27th yielded catastrophic flash flooding and river flooding, as well as significant wind damage as wet soils and strong wind gusts led to forest damage.
Flash Flood · Jul 3, 2023. A thunderstorm produced heavy rain near central Morristown. Clogged culverts limited drainage.
Flash Flood · Aug 26, 2022. Regenerating morning convection anchored over eastern portions of Hamblen County and Morristown produced flash flooding.
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 Hamblen 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.