40 flood insurance claims·$522,092 paid·5 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 Roane 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 weather events dominates the flood history of Roane County, Tennessee, supported by 29 flash flood events, 17 general flood events, and 2 tropical storm events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent incidents include a March 2025 event driven by a strong upper trough and low pressure system, as well as multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms producing flash flooding in May 2024. Additional flash flooding occurred in July 2024 from scattered, slow-moving convection beneath a humid high pressure ridge.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 19 claims with an average payout of $21,412 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 12 claims with an average payout of $11,605 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X unshaded recorded 9 claims averaging an $8,155 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as structures in Zone X and unshaded Zone X areas where lower-depth flooding and significant claim activity still occur.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
32% of Roane County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
28 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 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 1990, with 9 claims and $279,641 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Roane County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 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, 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 Flooding | Jun 5, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 29 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jul 25, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 15, 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.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2024. Scattered, slow-moving convection beneath a humid high pressure ridge produced isolated flash flooding.
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 8, 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.
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 Roane 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.