17 flood insurance claims·$160,553 paid·4 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 Cotton 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 heavy thunderstorm activity dominates the flood history of Cotton County, Oklahoma. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 14 flash flood events compared to 5 general flood events. Recent documented instances include a slow-moving warm front on July 17, 2014, that brought localized flash flooding near Walters and required at least one high-water rescue, as well as severe thunderstorm activity driven by a cold front on May 19, 2017.
Federal insurance records reflect claims across both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for 12 National Flood Insurance Program claims, with an average payout of $10,755 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties account for 5 claims, showing a higher average payout of $26,695 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within designated Zone A flood hazard areas, as well as structures in Zone X that remain vulnerable to significant water accumulation during intense rainfall events.
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 4 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 7 claims and $66,326 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms 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.
37 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 25, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 16, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 11, 2016 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 5, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Mar 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 22, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 30, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2007 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2007 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Mar 19, 2020. A strong upper level wave provided lift for numerous thunderstorms to develop, with several rounds of storms leading to scattered reports of hail, wind, and flooding on the 18th into early on the 19th.
Flash Flood · May 19, 2017. A line of storms fired along and just ahead of a cold front on the afternoon of the 19th and continued eastward across the state overnight into the 20th.
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2014. Several hours of heavy rainfall along a slow moving warm front led to localized flash flooding near Walters. At least one high-water rescue was required.
Flash Flood · Apr 22, 2011. A cold front moved slowly southeast before stalling near the I-44 corridor. A dry line stretched just ahead of the front, lying from near Lawton southward into northern Texas, with warm, moist air present ahead of it. By early evening, thunderstorms had developed ahead of these boundaries, just south and east of the Oklahoma City metro area. Large hail was reported with several of the thunderstorms. The developme…
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 Cotton 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.