36 flood insurance claims·$515,901 paid·5 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 Atascosa 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 from thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Atascosa County, accounting for 76 out of 77 recorded events over the last 30 years, alongside a single tropical storm that resulted in one death.
Historical events illustrate these weather patterns, such as in May 2023 when thunderstorms developed along a trough ahead of a cold front and produced locally heavy rain leading to flash flooding. Similarly, training storms generated by warm air advection caused locally heavy rainfall and minor flooding in April 2023, while a mesoscale convective system combined with a cold front to produce heavy rain in August 2016.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with Zone A recording 13 claims at an average payout of $15,361 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Unshaded Zone X recorded 11 claims averaging $26,518 with an average water depth of 3 inches, and standard Zone X logged 9 claims averaging $22,264 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents working in both designated high-risk flood zones and unshaded moderate-to-low risk areas should pay close attention to these historical payout and water depth patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
48% of Atascosa County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
25 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 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 2002, with 6 claims and $60,094 paid, the year of Severe 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Atascosa County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Duke Fire | Mar 4, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Tropical Storm Alex | Jun 27, 2010 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 21, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
77 since 1996: 76 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 6, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2025. A mid-level shortwave trough moved over Texas and combined with an abnormally moist airmass to generate thunderstorms. These storms were very efficient rain producers dropping locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding. There were also a few severe thunderstorms.
Flash Flood · May 20, 2023. Thunderstorms developed along a trough ahead of a cold front. One of these storms produced large hail. More storms formed along the cold front some of which produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Apr 6, 2023. Warm air advection above a cooler airmass generated elevated thunderstorms. Training of storms led to locally heavy rainfall and minor flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2016. Convection formed over the northern Mexican mountains during the afternoon and evening of August 20 beneath an upper level trough over the southern plains. This convection eventually formed into a mesoscale convective system as a low level jet developed overnight. The MCS produced heavy rain as it moved into a tropical airmass over South Central Texas. The MCS dissipated, and then convection redeveloped as a cold…
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 Atascosa 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.