8 flood insurance claims·$53,749 paid·1 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 Beckham County, Oklahoma. 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 from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Beckham County, Oklahoma. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 17 flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall from lingering troughs causing flooding in August 2022, as well as severe weather from supercells and a large storm line on May 7 and 8, 2019.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across different designated zones. Properties located in Zone A account for 7 claims with an average payout of $6,999 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X accounts for 1 claim with an average payout of $18,754 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within designated flood hazard areas, particularly Zone A, where the majority of historical flood insurance claims and measurable water depths have been recorded.
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 2 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 1988, with 2 claims and $21,729 paid.
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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Beckham County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1986, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 1170 Road Fire | Mar 15, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 7, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 16, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 13, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Nov 27, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 8, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 8, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 7, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Sep 5, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 29, 2022. With the trough lingering over the area, thunderstorms developed once again during the afternoon with wind and hail reported. Heavy rainfall also led to flooding in some areas.
Flash Flood · May 25, 2019. Scattered supercells merged into a linear system that produced a variety of severe weather on the 25th.
Flood · May 8, 2019. Numerous supercell storms were followed by a large line of thunderstorms that produced severe weather on the evening and overnight of the 7th into the 8th.
Flash Flood · May 8, 2019. Numerous supercell storms were followed by a large line of thunderstorms that produced severe weather on the evening and overnight of the 7th into the 8th.
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 Beckham 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.