8 flood insurance claims·$57,954 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 Morgan 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 from heavy thunderstorm activity dominates the flood risk profile in Morgan County, Tennessee, accounting for 25 of the 39 total flood events recorded over the last 30 years, alongside 13 general flood events and one tropical storm. Recent activity includes severe storms in May 2024 that spawned flash flooding, as well as a stalled warm front in March 2021 that produced additional flooding from evening into the following day.
Federal insurance data reflects claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risks extend beyond designated high-risk areas. National Flood Insurance Program records show four claims in Zone A with an average payout of $12,160 and an average recorded water depth of one inch. Additionally, claims have occurred in Zone X with two claims averaging a $2,494 payout and zero inches of average recorded water depth, Zone X_UNSHADED with one claim averaging a $4,085 payout and three inches of average recorded water depth, and an unknown zone with one claim averaging a $240 payout and one inch of average recorded water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A, while remaining aware that properties in Zone X and unshaded zones also carry documented historical claim activity.
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 2 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 2003, with 2 claims and $13,707 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Morgan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
21 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 Tornadoes | Mar 31, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 27, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 28, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 27, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 16, 2025. A strong upper trough and low pressure system helped generate a powerful low level jet of winds that led to both high wind reports and wind damage. However, potential energy in the atmosphere was lacking, with severe storms only generating a handful of damage reports and funnel clouds.
Flood · May 18, 2024. A weak but slow moving upper trough a severe thunderstorm that produced a few instances of damaging winds.
Flash Flood · May 9, 2024. A cutoff low over the North Plains, coupled with intense winds aloft and a cold front at the surface, helped spawn multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms that produced hail, flash flooding, and damaging winds to East Tennessee.
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 March 28.
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 Morgan 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.