35 flood insurance claims·$715,081 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 Lawrence 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 driven by severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Lawrence County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 118 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths, alongside 22 general flood events. Recent activity includes a potent storm system on March 15, 2025, which brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms, severe weather, and flash flooding to the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk zones. Properties located in moderate-to-low risk Zone X have recorded 28 claims with an average payout of $24,059 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Meanwhile, higher-risk Zone A properties have logged 7 claims with an average payout of $23,104 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in Zone X and Zone A, as both areas have experienced documented flood claims and water accumulation.
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 3 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 1998, with 10 claims and $471,686 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Winter Storm.
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.
42 NOAA storm reports from Lawrence County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
25 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 Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornado | Mar 1, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 3, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
140 since 1996: 118 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 25, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 25, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Apr 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 25, 2025. With abundant moisture and instability, the ingredients were there for another summer-like day across Middle Tennessee with scattered convection during the afternoon and evening of April 25, 2025. With little wind shear and forcing, these thunderstorms were non-severe. However, slow storm motions allowed for flash flooding to be the primary risk, especially in Lawrence County where a thunderstorm produced 2 to 4 i…
Flood · Mar 15, 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 · Mar 15, 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 9, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms developed across portions of Middle Tennessee during the afternoon of July 9, 2025. Weak steering flow meant that these storms were generally slow-moving. This combined with above average atmospheric moisture meant that the stage was set for heavy rain and flooding. One thunderstorm in Lawrence and Wayne counties produced four to six inches of heavy rain which caused flooding in the Loretto…
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 Lawrence 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.