35 flood insurance claims·$1.2M paid·2 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 Putnam 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 severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Putnam County, Tennessee, accounting for 59 out of 75 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 16 general flood events. Recent events illustrate this hazard, such as heavy rain falling on already saturated grounds on February 12, 2024, which dropped one to two inches of rain quickly in the Cookeville and Algood areas, causing flooding in low-lying zones and making several roads impassable. Additionally, heavy rain produced flooding across the Cumberland Plateau on July 30, 2024, when two lines of thunderstorms moved through the region.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in Zone X should pay the most attention, as this zone recorded the highest impact with 27 claims averaging $46,511 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. By comparison, Zone A recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $6,835 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $3,245 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
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 2010, with 8 claims and $496,000 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Putnam County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 2 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 Winter Storm | Dec 22, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 3, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 27, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 17, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
75 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2024 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2023 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2024. Two lines of thunderstorms moved through Middle Tennessee on July 30, 2024. One of these lines moved through the area during the afternoon while the second arrived late in the evening. Damaging winds were the primary threat with these thunderstorms with numerous reports of downed trees and power lines received. Heavy rain was also reported across the Cumberland Plateau with flooding occurring in portions of Putnam…
Flash Flood · Feb 12, 2024. Heavy rain moved into Middle Tennessee on February 12, 2024. This was the fourth consecutive day of rain across the area, so grounds were already saturated. An estimated one to two inches of rain fell very quickly in the Cookeville and Algood areas in Putnam County which caused flooding in poor drainage and low-lying areas. Several roads in the area were rendered impassable.
Flash Flood · May 8, 2024. A widespread severe weather event impacted Middle Tennessee beginning in the early morning hours of May 8, 2024, and continued through the early morning hours of May 9th. During this time frame, numerous rounds of severe weather moved through the area, causing widespread wind damage in nearly every county in Middle Tennessee, hail up to 3 inches in diameter, and four tornadoes. One of these tornadoes in Columbia p…
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2023. A very strong squall line made its way through Middle Tennessee during the morning and afternoon hours of July 20, 2023. Damaging straight-line winds were the primary threat associated with this line of thunderstorms with wind gusts of 65 to 80 mph common. The most significant damage was reported in Sumner and Wilson counties with numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines received. Meanwhile, training shower…
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 Putnam 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.