Enter any address in Rutherford County, Tennessee to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from severe weather events is the dominant flood character in Rutherford County, TN. Between 2000 and 2020, NOAA data recorded 50 flash flood events and 25 general flood events. Recent examples include widespread flash flooding impacting Middle Tennessee in early May 2024, and heavy rainfall causing flooding near and south of Interstate 40 in early September 2022.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows that properties in Zone A, which have a high flood risk, accounted for 183 claims with an average payout of $16,133 and an average water depth of 3.5 feet. Properties in Zone X, with moderate flood risk, had 140 claims averaging $15,785 and 2.3 feet of water. Homeowners in Zone A, and those in Zone X with lower Base Flood Elevations (BFE), should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
28 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Rutherford County, Tennessee has recorded 75 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 50 flash floods and 25 river or area floods. The county has received 17 federal disaster declarations, 2 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Mar 31, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Apr 30, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 10, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 4, 2003 |
| Severe Storms And Tornados | Severe Storm | Nov 9, 2002 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | 0.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flood | Aug 19, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 10, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 2, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 27, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 27, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 27, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Oct 6, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2020 | 0.00K |
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 tor...
Flood — Aug 19, 2022
Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours on August 19. A few storms were nearly stationary and dumped very heavy rainfall in a short amount of time. One such storm occurred in far northeastern Rutherford County with some flooding reported.
Flood — Aug 10, 2022
A line of showers and thunderstorms moved northwest across Middle Tennessee during the day on August 10. Several reports of flooding and wind damage were received.
Flash Flood — Sep 3, 2022
A large storm system stretching from the mid-Mississippi Valley northward into the Great Lakes region on September 2nd through September 4, 2022, along with an abundant amount of moisture resulted in scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms across middle Tennessee. Due to slow storm motions and training of thunderstorms, heavy rain and areas of flash flooding were the primary threat duri...
Flood — Sep 2, 2022
A large storm system stretching from the mid-Mississippi Valley northward into the Great Lakes region on September 2nd through September 4, 2022, along with an abundant amount of moisture resulted in scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms across middle Tennessee. Due to slow storm motions and training of thunderstorms, heavy rain and areas of flash flooding were the primary threat duri...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Rutherford County, Tennessee:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Rutherford County, Tennessee that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.