28 flood insurance claims·$311,268 paid·4 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 Warren 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 driven by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Warren County, which recorded 20 flash flood events compared to 3 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Severe weather outbreaks have triggered significant water emergencies in the region, including a prolonged heavy rain event in February 2019 caused by a stationary frontal boundary that brought persistent moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and a series of flash floods accompanying widespread severe storms and tornadoes in April 2011. An additional flash flood event occurred in March 2019 due to heavy rainfall from moving showers and thunderstorms.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage extends across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $11,766 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X recorded 10 claims averaging $15,052 with an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone X_SHADED recorded 4 claims averaging $7,614 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located within Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
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 3 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 7 claims and $125,695 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 Warren County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 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, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 2, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 4, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 20, 2019 | $541,180 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 9, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Nov 28, 2011 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 27, 2011 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2011 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2010 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2010 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Feb 23, 2019. A stationary frontal boundary stalled near the Tennessee Valley for nearly a week in mid to late February 2019. Persistent southwest flow aloft brought copious amounts of Gulf of Mexico moisture northward and interacted with this boundary for many days, causing a prolonged period of heavy rain and flooding throughout Middle Tennessee from Tuesday, February 19 through early Sunday, February 24. Due to the heavy rai…
Flash Flood · Feb 20, 2019. After an already very wet month, additional heavy rainfall and thunderstorms moved into Middle Tennessee from Tuesday February 19 into Wednesday February 20. With the airmass being initially cold and dry, the rainfall briefly fell as a mix of rain and sleet across southern Middle Tennessee, although no measurable sleet accumulation was reported. Considerable cloud to ground positive lightning also occurred, which…
Flash Flood · Mar 9, 2019. A line of scattered showers and thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours on March 9. One supercell thunderstorm produced wind damage across southern Wayne and Lawrence Counties, while another supercell caused wind damage in Grundy County. Farther to the north, a QLCS caused wind damage in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. Strong southerly gradient winds also produced wind da…
Flood · Nov 28, 2011. As an usually strong upper level low pressure system moved across Middle Tennessee, on Sunday, November 27th and Monday, November 28th, it produced periods of rainfall. This rainfall resulted in several roads across Rutherford County being closed on Sunday and early Monday morning. Enough rainfall also occurred by Monday, November 28th to result in flooding damage across five counties in the Cumberland Plateau Reg…
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 Warren 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.