26 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·2 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 Bryan 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 severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Bryan County, Oklahoma, accounting for 32 of the 33 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside one general flood event.
Severe weather patterns drive these occurrences, as demonstrated by repeated rounds of heavy thunderstorms associated with a passing cold front in June 2025, and heavy rainfall from thunderstorms developing along a lingering trough in August 2022. Additional flash flooding occurred in September 2019 when numerous thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall along a stalled outflow boundary.
Property owners and real estate professionals should pay close attention to both designated high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas. National Flood Insurance Program records show 20 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $46,031 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Additionally, Zone X properties experienced 6 claims with an average payout of $54,171 and an average recorded water depth of 27 inches, indicating that properties outside traditional high-risk zones also experience significant flood impacts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Bryan County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
20 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 17 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 2015, with 12 claims and $918,521 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Bryan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 30, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Nov 27, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 5, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 28, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 24, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 32 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2025. Widespread severe thunderstorms, organized along a passing cold front, impacted much of Oklahoma and western-north Texas on the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. In addition to reports and observations of thunderstorm wind damage and large hail, six tornadoes occurred across the WFO Norman Forecast Area. Flash flooding also occurred during the evening hours across southeastern Oklahoma due to repeated rounds of he…
Flash 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 · Apr 29, 2021. Storms continued into the 28th as a slow moving trough approached. Early morning convection produced numerous flood reports. Later in the day, renewed storm development led to an isolated supercell which tracked across southern portions of the OKC metro area with 2-3 diameter hail and damaging winds. Extensive damage was reported with this storm, with the most significant damage concentrated in Norman. In Clevelan…
Flash Flood · Sep 20, 2019. Numerous thunderstorms along a stalled outflow boundary produced heavy rainfall and isolated severe wind gusts across southern Oklahoma and adjacent western North Texas on the evening of the 20th.
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 Bryan 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.