3 flood insurance claims·$10,165 paid
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 Ellis 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 Ellis County, accounting for 14 of the 15 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside a single general flood event.
Historical events illustrate these risks across the region. On October 25, 2000, flash flooding developed during the evening and early morning after 3 to 6 inches of rain fell in a 20-mile band extending from near Arnett in Ellis County northeastward through Woodward, with local amounts near 7 inches. Later, on April 26, 2009, severe thunderstorms fueled by an extremely unstable atmosphere and dry line conditions brought severe weather to the area, with tornadoes also reported in Roger Mills and Ellis counties. More recently, on September 8, 2025, scattered supercell thunderstorms driven by northwesterly flow aloft and an embedded upper-level impulse impacted the region.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located within Zone A should pay the most attention to these flood hazards. National Flood Insurance Program records for Zone A show 3 claims with an average payout of $3,388 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
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 1 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 1996, with 1 claims and $6,397 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 Ellis County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1990.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 840 Road Fire | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Catesby Fire | Feb 27, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Oct 26, 2020 |
| Gauge Fire | Nov 26, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 7, 2019 |
| Nw Oklahoma Wildfire Outbreak Complex | Mar 6, 2017 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
15 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 25, 2000 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 24, 2000 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 1999 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 1997 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 1996 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 8, 2025. On the 8th, modest northwesterly flow aloft, including an embedded upper-level impulse, was present across the Southern Plains. This enhanced flow and lift contributed to scattered supercell thunderstorms from southern Kansas into portions of northern Oklahoma and the adjacent northeast Texas Panhandle. In addition to reports of large hail and isolated wind damage, a well-documented tornado occurred in northern Ha…
Flash Flood · Apr 26, 2009. Thunderstorms developed along and east of a dry line over the eastern Texas panhandle. The atmosphere was extremely unstable and wind shear was more than sufficient to support severe thunderstorms, including supercell thunderstorms. Showers and thunderstorms that developed early in the day, gave way to more severe thunderstorms by mid afternoon. Severe weather of all types occurred, with numerous locations receivi…
Flash Flood · Oct 25, 2000. Flash flooding developed across portions of western Oklahoma during the evening of the 24th and early morning of the 25th. Although some flooding developed quickly without extremely heavy rain due to saturated soil, significant amounts of rain were recorded across portions of northwest Oklahoma. Three to 6 inches fell in a 20 mile band extending from near Arnett in Ellis County northeastward through Woodward to ju…
Flash Flood · Oct 24, 2000. Flash flooding developed across portions of western Oklahoma during the evening of the 24th and early morning of the 25th. Although some flooding developed quickly without extremely heavy rain due to saturated soil, significant amounts of rain were recorded across portions of northwest Oklahoma. Three to 6 inches fell in a 20 mile band extending from near Arnett in Ellis County northeastward through Woodward to ju…
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 Ellis 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.