327 flood insurance claims·$14.2M paid·10 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 Austin 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.
Austin County experiences a flood risk profile where flash flooding from severe storms dominates, accounting for 41 events and 3 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 3 tropical storm events and 1 general flood event. Recent activity includes a series of disturbances in January 2024 that resulted in numerous flash flood events, the flooding of many homes, extensive high water rescues, and a flood-related fatality. Additional flooding occurred in portions of Montgomery and Austin Counties as storms moved through the area on April 7, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A have recorded 200 claims with an average payout of $52,522 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Meanwhile, properties designated as Zone X have recorded 103 claims with an average payout of $49,428 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED properties averaged 5 inches of water depth across 4 claims with an average payout of $55,752. Properties with unknown zone designations account for 20 claims averaging an average payout of $26,783 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated high-risk flood zones and lower-risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to these historical water depths and claim frequencies when evaluating property risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Austin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
204 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 7 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 2016, with 126 claims and $8.3M 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Austin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1991, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 17, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 41 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 23, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 15, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 7, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 25, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 24, 2024. A series of disturbances moved across the area resulting in numerous flash flood events that resulted in the flooding of many homes, extensive high water rescues, and a flood-related fatality.
Flash Flood · Jan 23, 2024. A series of disturbances moved across the area resulting in numerous flash flood events that resulted in the flooding of many homes, extensive high water rescues, and a flood-related fatality.
Flash Flood · Sep 15, 2023. Late afternoon through early evening severe thunderstorms produced some localized flash flooding and isolated wind damage.
Flood · Apr 7, 2023. Flooding occurred in portions of Montgomery and Austin Counties as storms moved through the area during the night of April 6 and morning of April 7.
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 Austin 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.