Enter any address in Jefferson County, Tennessee to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood hazard in Jefferson County. Recent events include significant flash flooding on August 14, 2023, caused by persistent thunderstorms, and another instance on August 7, 2023, driven by an intense low-pressure system. Thunderstorms associated with a stalled warm front also produced flooding on March 28, 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that while Zone A areas have seen the most claims, properties in Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded have experienced higher average payouts and water depths. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
3 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Jefferson County, Tennessee has recorded 18 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 7 flash floods and 8 river or area floods. The county has received 21 federal disaster declarations, 4 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornado | Severe Storm | Aug 7, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 27, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Severe Ice Storm | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 25, 2011 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2023 | 2.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Mar 3, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 30, 2013 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2011 | 2.19M |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2009 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 17, 2004 | 15K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 17, 2004 | 2K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 16, 2004 | 12K |
Flash Flood — Aug 14, 2023
A highly anomalous weather pattern involving a closed low and a trailing cold front brought discrete thunderstorms and multicell clusters in multiple rounds to east Tennessee. Repeat events as well as training of cells resulted in flash flooding, some of it significant.
Flash Flood — Aug 7, 2023
A highly anomalous pattern for August including an unseasonably intense low pressure system created several hours of severe thunderstorms including the final round of storms that grew upscale into a severe mesoscale convective system.
Flash Flood — Mar 28, 2021
Thunderstorms with large hail spread northward across East Tennessee during the early morning hours of March 27, reaching southwest Virginia by late morning. These storms were associated with a warm front, which later stalled across northeast Tennessee. This stalled front was the focus of additional thunderstorms that produced damaging wind gusts and flooding in the evening of March 27 and into...
Flood — Mar 3, 2020
Supercell thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours across Middle Tennessee and shifted east ahead of a surface warm front. Wind structure through the atmosphere was sufficient for rotating storms in an environment of weakening instability. Isolated damage was reported on the Cumberland Plateau and Central East Tennessee along a line parallel to Interstate 40.
Flood — Jan 30, 2013
Heavy rain returned to the region. Though not as heavy as the event of the 15th-16th, the very wet soils enabled this event to produce widespread flooding as well.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Jefferson County, Tennessee:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Jefferson County, Tennessee that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.