49 flood insurance claims·$658,676 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 Lincoln 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 dominates the flood character of Lincoln County, accounting for 59 of the 68 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general flood events (resulting in 1 death) and 2 tropical storms. Heavy rainfall events regularly threaten infrastructure, as demonstrated on February 23, 2022, when excessive rainfall brought 4 to 5.5 inches of rain to southern middle Tennessee, causing several road closures in Lincoln County and prompting school closures.
Federal insurance claims data shows that property damage occurs in both high-risk and lower-risk zones. Properties in high-risk Zone A account for the highest claim volume with 36 claims averaging an $12,828 payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 10 claims with an average payout of $24,707 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches, while Zone X unshaded recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $997 and an average water depth of 3 inches. Zone unknown recorded 2 claims averaging a $96 payout with an average water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated Zone A due to the high frequency of flood claims, as well as structures in Zone X where average claim payouts and recorded water depths have been higher during flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Lincoln County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
37 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
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 1990, with 14 claims and $151,945 paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Lincoln County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
17 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, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2003 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 23, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
68 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 23, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 31, 2016 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 23, 2022. In addition to severe weather, excessive rainfall occurred causing numerous locations to experience flash flooding. ||4-5.5 inches of rain in southern middle Tennessee.|20 roads closed due to flash flooding in Moore County alone.|Several roads closed in Lincoln County.|Schools closed on the 23rd as a result.
Flash Flood · Sep 20, 2021. Showers and thunderstorms repeatedly moved across Northern Alabama and Southern Middle TN on the 19th and 20th. Numerous roads were closed in Lincoln County, with widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 across much of the area. Portions of NW Madison received 6-8 over a few hours, leading to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 19, 2021. Showers and thunderstorms repeatedly moved across Northern Alabama and Southern Middle TN on the 19th and 20th. Numerous roads were closed in Lincoln County, with widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 across much of the area. Portions of NW Madison received 6-8 over a few hours, leading to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2018. A feed of very moist air and a slow moving frontal system led to multiple clusters of showers and thunderstorms during the morning hours of the 26th. Intense rainfall rates in a short period of time (1-2 inches in 30 minutes) led to multiple locations with flash flooding in Lincoln and Moore Counties.
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 Lincoln 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.