218 flood insurance claims·$5.9M 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 Bandera 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 intense summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Bandera County, supported by NOAA records showing 120 flash flood events and five deaths compared to just four standard flood events over the last 30 years.
This hazard is driven by weather patterns such as the July 2025 event, when moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry combined with a low-level jet streak to produce heavy training thunderstorms and near-record precipitable water values over the Texas Hill Country.
NFIP claim data indicates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas, with properties in both designated special flood hazard areas and moderate-to-low risk zones experiencing significant water intrusion. Specifically, Zone A recorded 114 claims with an average water depth of 12 inches and an average payout of $37,070, while various Zone X designations accounted for 99 total claims with average water depths ranging from 6 to 13 inches and average payouts between $30,524 and $51,765. Property owners in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and shaded or unshaded Zone X areas should pay close attention to their flood risk given these historical claim patterns and average depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Bandera County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
154 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 12 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 104 claims and $3.8M 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.
30 NOAA storm reports from Bandera County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 29, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
124 since 1996: 120 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 9, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2025. A mesoscale convective vortex developed over northern Mexico and sent an outflow boundary into South-Central Texas. Thunderstorms in this complex produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2025. Tropical Storm Barry moved into and dissipated over eastern Mexico. Moist air from the remnants of Barry moved northward into Texas. Precipitable water values over South-Central Texas increased to near record levels. A mid-level anticyclonic circulation developed and moved over Central Texas providing lift to generate thunderstorms. During the overnight period of July 3-4, a low-level jet streak set up over South…
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2024. An upper-level trough moved across a stationary front and a very moist airmass. This combination generated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2023. An area of thunderstorms developed along an old outflow boundary over the Southern Edwards Plateau. These storms moved toward the south and produced locally heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding.
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 Bandera 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.