Abstract: Taking the 5302 working face of Xinhe Coal Mine in Shandong province as an engineering background, we use FLAC^3D numerical simulation to study development law of water flowing fractured zone under different angles of lateral pressure (the angle between the horizontal stress and the advancing direction of the working face). Results showed that: when the lateral pressure coefficient is 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5, with the increase of the angle of lateral pressure, the plastic zone height of the overlying strata in the stope shows an upward trend as a whole, the plastic zone of overburden gradually develops from an arch into an irregular saddle shape; when the lateral pressure coefficient is 2.0 and 2.5, with the increase of the angle of lateral pressure, the height of plastic zone decreases firstly and then increases, the plastic zone of the overlying strata gradually develops from the arch to the pillow shape; with the increase of the angle of lateral pressure, different stress concentration zones can be formed at the top of the surrounding rock in the stope, the range of stress concentration zone will decrease first and then increase.