Enter any address in Union County, Tennessee to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the dominant flood character in Union County, TN. Between 1993 and 2023, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 11 flood events and 6 flash flood events, alongside one tropical storm. Recent examples include heavy rains on February 16, 2023, triggered by a cold front, and flooding on February 23, 2022, associated with a stalled cold front and a surface low. Earlier, on February 6, 2019, a warm, moist air mass contributed to flash flooding.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data from Union County shows that properties in Zone A have experienced an average water depth of 4.5 feet, with an average payout of $30,475. Properties in Zone X have had an average payout of $25,001 with no reported water depth, while Zone X_Unshaded properties had an average payout of $2,302 with an average water depth of 3.0 feet. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, or those located near waterways, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
2 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Union County, Tennessee has recorded 18 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 6 flash floods and 11 river or area floods. The county has received 16 federal disaster declarations, 3 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 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Feb 28, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Feb 14, 2003 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 27, 2001 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Dec 23, 1998 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 16, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Feb 6, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 11, 2018 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 1, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jan 30, 2013 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2011 | 1.53M |
| Flood | Sep 26, 2009 | 0.00K |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 17, 2004 | 15K |
| Flood | Feb 21, 2003 | — |
Flood — Feb 16, 2023
Heavy rain was triggered by a cold front slowly displacing a warm sector whose precipitable water anomaly was near the maximum for the day.
Flood — Feb 23, 2022
A moist southwesterly flow aloft ran nearly parallel to a stalled cold front near east Tennessee on the 23rd. A surface low near Lake Charles LA would move up the boundary and produce a second round of rains on the 24th.
Flash Flood — Feb 6, 2019
A warm, moist, Gulf air mass was in place across the area, with a weak surface trough located over the Cumberland Plateau, which helped focus rainfall amounts of a few inches over parts of northeast Tennessee.
Flood — Feb 11, 2018
At 500 MB, a strong western Atlantic high pressure ridge and a deep low pressure trough over the High Plains were denoted at the surface by a slow-moving cold front over the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys. This resulted in unseasonably warm and humid conditions across east Tennessee and southwest Virginia, and widespread heavy rains.
Flash Flood — Mar 1, 2017
A well developed upper level trough moved from the Eastern Plains to the Eastern Seaboard with an associated strong low pressure system and cold front. A squall line formed ahead of the front and swept across the Southern Appalachian region from mid morning through the mid afternoon hours. Several reports of straight line wind damage were received during the event along with limited reports of ...
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 Union 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 Union 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.