82 flood insurance claims·$1.7M 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 Rhea 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 summer thunderstorms and convective rain systems dominates the flood character of Rhea County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 20 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 13 general flood events and 1 tropical storm event.
Historical events illustrate these risks. In September 2018, heavy convective rain training along southwest-to-northeast oriented bands produced significant flash flooding. Later, in August 2021, thunderstorms associated with the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ida caused localized flooding as rainfall gradually accumulated throughout the day.
Federal flood insurance data highlights that properties in both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas experience damage. Zone A properties account for the highest claim volume with 55 claims averaging a payout of $12,706 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 23 claims with a higher average payout of $57,017 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within designated Special Flood Hazard Areas as well as moderate-risk Zone X locations, where both frequent flash flooding and lower-frequency high-payout events have impacted structures.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Rhea County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
58 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 4 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 20 claims and $55,637 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Rhea County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
21 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 | Aug 7, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornado | Mar 1, 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, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Aug 31, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Dec 25, 2015 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 24, 2015 | $15,000 · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2014 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2013 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2023. A weak trough of 500 MB low pressure helped trigger locally heavy rains over western portions of the Tennessee Valley.
Flood · Aug 31, 2021. Thunderstorms associated with the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ida moved across parts of East Tennessee. One storm blew down trees and powerlines in Rhea County. There were localized reports of flooding due to the rainfall gradually accumulating throughout the day, but occasionally heavier rain did fall toward the latter afternoon and early evening hours.
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2018. The back door front had mostly washed out, but southwesterly flow aloft on the west side of the Bermuda High kept the area quite humid. A cold front was approaching from the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and heavy convective rain was training along southwest-to-northeast oriented bands, producing significant flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 17, 2018. A humid air mass containing outflow boundaries from previous convection triggered isolated diurnal downpours.
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 Rhea 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.