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 Armstrong County, Texas. 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 and localized flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms and upper-level weather systems dominate the flood risk in Armstrong County, Texas. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 11 flash flood events and 12 general flood events.
Heavy rainfall events have produced extreme localized precipitation totals. For example, on September 19, 2019, thunderstorms fueled by moisture from a western trough dropped 6.27 inches of rain in just one hour and a daily total of 9.54 inches at a West Texas Mesonet station southwest of Claude. Another event on September 9, 2025, brought severe hail, winds, and localized flooding as an unstable atmosphere and high moisture content supported slow-moving storms across the region. A potent system on March 13, 2021, similarly generated widespread hazards across the Southern High Plains.
Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents monitoring property in the area should pay close attention to drainage capacity and localized storm runoff during severe weather, particularly given the potential for intense hourly rainfall rates associated with regional thunderstorm activity.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7 NOAA storm reports from Armstrong County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1998, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 8 Ball Fire | Feb 17, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 9, 2025 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Sep 19, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Oct 3, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 9, 2025. On the evening of September 9th, a very subtle upper level system passed over the region, which allowed several thunderstorms to develop across the western to central Texas Panhandle. The atmosphere was strongly unstable for September standards, combined with moderate wind shear and high moisture content, and this proved to be conducive for storms to produce severe hail, winds, and localized flooding. A few severe…
Flood · Mar 13, 2021. A very potent upper level system produced widespread hazards from heavy snow across the front range/Rockies to severe weather across the Southern High Plains. The vigorous closed upper low was approached the Four Corners region from the west. A warm front lifted north and northwest across all but the Oklahoma Panhandle and the northwest Texas Panhandle while a sharpening dryline was located over eastern New Mexico…
Flood · Sep 19, 2019. Deep trough over the western half of the United States funneled moisture northeast into the Panhandles. A surface trough near the New Mexico State Line helped spark late afternoon and evening thunderstorms across the central and south-central Texas Panhandle produced strong winds, hail and very heavy rains. The West Texas Mesonet station 12 miles southwest of Claude in Armstrong County measured 6.27 inches in one…
Flood · Oct 3, 2019. Significant moisture across the region combined with a cold front to produce early day thunderstorms led to minor flooding across central and south-central parts of the Texas Panhandle.
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 Armstrong 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.