29 flood insurance claims·$371,017 paid·4 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 Lake 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 river flooding driven by heavy rainfall and high river levels dominate the flood profile of Lake County, Tennessee, supported by over the last 30 years including 9 flash flood events, 7 general flood events, and impacts from tropical systems.
Historical events illustrate these hazards. In February 2021, a cold front moving over saturated soils produced heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding. A significant multi-factor event occurred in May 2011, when heavy rains combined with spring snowmelt from the Dakotas and Minnesota to produce record-breaking flooding along the Mississippi River, which closed roads, flooded homes and businesses, and damaged agricultural crops.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with Zone A recording 17 claims averaging a $13,683 payout with an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $29,776 and an average water depth of 6 inches, while Zone X shaded recorded 1 claim with an average water depth of 22 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A, as well as properties near the Mississippi River and in moderate-to-low risk zones experiencing deep localized water, should pay the closest attention to these flood 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 7 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 2011, with 11 claims and $235,337 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Lake County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 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, Straight-line Winds, And Tornado | Mar 1, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 10, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 3, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Flooding | Apr 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | $500,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2011 | $750,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2010 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 19, 2008 | — |
| Tropical Depression | Sep 14, 2008 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2006 | $10 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 15, 2025. An upper-level trough crossed the Four Corners region and dipped into northern Mexico on February 14, 2025. In response, deep southwesterly flow set up over the Lower Mississippi Valley and advected Gulf moisture poleward. Showers and thunderstorms blossomed across the region during the early morning hours on February 15, 2025. Meanwhile, a warm front quickly accelerated northward during the morning of February 15…
Flash Flood · Feb 28, 2021. A cold front pushed into an unstable and very moist airmass to produce numerous showers and thunderstorms north of Interstate 40 during the afternoon of February 28th. Storms eventually evolved into a line and pushed southeast across the Mid-South. A few severe storms occurred. Heavy rainfall over already saturated soils resulting in some flash flooding.
Flood · Feb 23, 2019. A strong cold front produced a line of thunderstorms that caused flash flooding, some wind damage and funnel clouds to portions of west Tennessee during the afternoon and early evening hours of February 23rd.
Flood · May 1, 2011. Heavy rains continued to occur across the Mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley during the beginning part of May. In addition, spring snow melt across the Dakotas and Minnesota continued to create higher than normal river levels on the Mississippi River. The combination of the snow melt and heavy rainfall produced record breaking flooding on the Mississippi River. Numerous roads were flooded and closed as a…
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 Lake 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.