195
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$86.3M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Shelby County, Tennessee: 195 recorded events between 1996 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #44 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Shelby County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Shelby County is the 2000s, when 72 of the county's 195 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Shelby County archive, flash flood makes up 16.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #44 for this hazard and #1 within Tennessee, putting it in the 98.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Shelby County with 37 recorded events, while Oct is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2010 | KERRVILLE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $28.9M |
| Jul 5, 2009 | MILLINGTON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 1, 2008 | PISGAH HGTS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | BENJESTOWN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2001 | MEMPHIS | 0 | 0 | 6 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | SHELBY FARMS | — | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2026 | MALLORY | — | $0 |
| Sep 24, 2025 | OAKVILLE | 0 | $15K |
| Sep 24, 2025 | SPRING LAKE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | MEMPHIS | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 18, 2025 | CAPLEVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2025 | GERMANTOWN | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | GRIFFIN CORNER | 0 | $1K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | MEMPHIS | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2025 | BERCLAIR | 0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind 571
- Hail 311
- Tornado 56
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Millington. One motorist was stranded in flood water at the intersection of Navy Road and Wasp Road. In addition, Arapaho Road was flooded. One child was swept away by flood waters in a drainage ditch at the corner of Sigler Lane and Highway 51. The child was found an hour later.
Very heavy rain fell across the southern half of Shelby County. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 9 inches were reported causing widespread flash flooding. Dozens of streets were flooded across Southern Shelby County and many vehicles were trapped in water. Several people had to be rescued. Several homes and businesses were also flooded. The hardest hit area was along Nonconnah Creek where many homes and businesses from Lamar Avenue downstream to Interstate 55 experienced some degree of flooding. About 100 mobile homes were flooded in a mobile home park west of Memphis International Airport. Nonconnah Creek had a record crest at the Winchester gage of 26.64 feet and at the Farriesview gage of 34.33 feet.
Roads closed due to flooding. Several streets around southeast Memphis had several inches of water causing closures for a period of time. Wemberly Drive between Shelby Drive and Tumbler Ridge Lane. Winchester Road between Hacks Cross and Forest Hill Irene. Polar Avenue and International as well as Front Street and Nettleton were flooded. Several homes were flooded across portions of Germantown and Southeast Memphis.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Shelby County, Tennessee?
195 flash flood events are recorded in Shelby County between 1996 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Shelby County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Shelby County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Shelby County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Shelby County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/shelby-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.