20 flood insurance claims·$192,837 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 Macon 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 weather and summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Macon County, Tennessee. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 35 flash flood events compared to 5 general flood events. Recent events include summertime thunderstorms that produced heavy rain and flooding in the Lafayette area on July 28, 2024, as well as a prolonged period of heavy rain and flooding driven by a stalled frontal boundary from February 19-24, 2019.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across different zones with varying impacts. Properties located in Zone A account for 17 claims with an average payout of $9,134 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties in Zone X account for 3 claims with an average payout of $21,655 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Special Flood Hazard Area Zone A, where the highest frequency of historical insurance claims has occurred, as well as areas prone to sudden flash flooding from heavy seasonal rainfall.
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 5 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 2010, with 14 claims and $159,737 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes and Severe Storms 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Macon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 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, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Mar 31, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornado | Mar 1, 2023 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 17, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Apr 30, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Feb 5, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 29, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 16, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2018 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 16, 2025. A major severe weather and flooding event unfolded across Middle Tennessee on February 15-16, 2025. As well above average moisture spread into the area, this helped set the stage for very heavy rainfall across Middle Tennessee. Showers and thunderstorms began early during the day on February 15th, and the primary threat with this first round was flooding. The most significant flooding was reported in Montgomery an…
Flash Flood · Feb 15, 2025. A major severe weather and flooding event unfolded across Middle Tennessee on February 15-16, 2025. As well above average moisture spread into the area, this helped set the stage for very heavy rainfall across Middle Tennessee. Showers and thunderstorms began early during the day on February 15th, and the primary threat with this first round was flooding. The most significant flooding was reported in Montgomery an…
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2024. Summertime thunderstorms impacted Middle Tennessee on July 28, 2024. One of these typical summertime storms produced heavy rain in Macon County, causing flooding in the Lafayette area.
Flash Flood · Dec 29, 2019. Widespread heavy rainfall fell across Middle Tennessee on December 29, resulting in significant flash flooding. One person was killed in Sumner County.
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 Macon 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.