Quick answer: Flooding in Hattiesburg comes from two directions — the Leaf River and Bouie Creek rising over hours to days, and flash flooding from intense rain. This page is a living record: a new row is added to the table below as each real flood event is documented and sourced. For the river gage itself, watch the Leaf at Hattiesburg (HATM6), where the National Weather Service sets flood stage at 22 feet.
If you own property around Hattiesburg, flooding is not an abstract risk — it’s a recurring one, driven by two rivers and the low ground between them. The point of this page is to keep a plain, sourced record of what has actually happened here, alongside the steps that matter when water reaches your home.
Recent flooding in Hattiesburg
The table below tracks documented flood events on the Leaf River and around Hattiesburg. It starts with the events already on the record and grows over time — each new row cites a primary gage reading or a named news report.
| Date | Event | Rainfall / Crest | Areas affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 11–12, 2026 | Leaf River rose after a weekend of heavy rain; the city closed Chain Park, off MS-42, indefinitely (WDAM) | Crest 18.99 ft on the USGS gage (02473000), Jan 11 — below the 22-foot flood stage | Low-lying riverside areas, Hattiesburg |
| Apr 15, 1974 | Leaf River flood of record | 34.03 ft at gage HATM6 — still the record crest (flood stage is 22 ft) | Leaf River corridor, Hattiesburg |
| Mar 2004 | Big Bay Lake dam failure, 2004 (Lamar County) | Dam breach; 26 homes lost downstream | Lower Leaf / Bouie drainage, Lamar County |
The record crest is 34.03 feet, set on April 15, 1974, and it remains the high-water mark every later event is measured against. Most flooding never approaches that level — the January 2026 rise crested well below the 22-foot flood stage yet still closed a low-lying riverside park, which is exactly how minor and moderate flooding behaves here: it reaches the lowest ground first.
Not every event on the list is a river cresting. The 2004 Big Bay Lake dam failure in Lamar County was a different mechanism entirely — an earthen dam upstream that gave way, sending a surge downstream that destroyed homes in its path. It’s a reminder that flooding in the Pine Belt comes from more than one source, and that upstream conditions matter as much as local rain.
Why does Hattiesburg flood?
Hattiesburg sits at the meeting of the Leaf and Bouie Rivers and the network of low-lying creeks that drain into them across Forrest and Lamar counties. When heavy rain stacks up over the basin, those waterways rise and push water into yards, streets, and homes — and because the ground near the rivers is the lowest, it floods first and drains last.
River flooding and flash flooding are two different problems. River flooding builds slowly and is forecastable: the Leaf climbs past its 22-foot flood stage over hours to days, and the gage gives you warning. The Weather Service marks action stage at 16 feet, moderate flooding at 24 feet, and major flooding at 29.3 feet, so you can watch the forecast and know roughly how bad a given rise will get before it arrives. Flash flooding is sudden — intense rain overwhelming drainage or a small creek — and can arrive with little notice, well away from the rivers. Around Hattiesburg you can face either, and both bring contaminated outside water into a home.
What do I do if my home floods in Hattiesburg?
The order matters more than speed. Get people and pets to safety first, keep clear of moving water and anything electrical, and only then start on the property itself.
- Document before you touch anything. Photos and video of the water line and the damage are what your insurer needs.
- Start extraction and drying early. Standing water has to come out and the structure has to dry before mold takes hold. That’s the front end of any water extraction job — see The First 24 Hours After Flooding for the full checklist.
- Treat floodwater as contaminated. River and storm water is Category 3 — the domain of flood cleanup, not a mop and a shop vac.
If a flood has already reached your home in Hattiesburg or the Pine Belt, request help or call — a real person answers, day or night, and can talk you through the safe next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Hattiesburg sits between the Leaf River and Bouie Creek, with low-lying areas across Forrest and Lamar counties. River flooding builds over hours to days once the Leaf passes its 22-foot flood stage at gage HATM6; flash flooding from intense rain can put water in places the rivers never reach.
The Leaf River record crest at Hattiesburg is 34.03 feet, set on April 15, 1974 — far above the 22-foot flood stage. The next-highest crest, 31.53 feet, came in February 1961. Both are still the benchmarks the river is measured against.
Get people and pets to safety, then document the damage before removing anything, and start extraction and drying quickly — floodwater is a Category 3 hazard. The First 24 Hours After Flooding walks through the full sequence step by step.