3 flood insurance claims·$22,602 paid·3 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 Baylor 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 heavy rainfall dominates the local flood profile, accounting for 17 of the 21 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 4 general flood events.
Recent impacts are documented in NOAA storm records, including multiple rounds of heavy rainfall that caused significant urban and river flooding across Baylor and Knox Counties in June 2024. An upper trough combined with tropical moisture to produce additional flooding events in September 2016.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate minimal claims history, consisting of two claims in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $1,429 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and one claim in Zone A with a $19,744 average payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Properties located within Zone A and areas prone to rapid stormwater accumulation should pay the closest attention to local flood risks.
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 2 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 1989, with 1 claims and $19,744 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
19 federal disaster declarations since 1979, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 24, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 6, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2007 | — |
| Flood | Oct 15, 2006 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2005 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 11, 2024. Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall from the 10th into the morning of the 11th led to urban and river flooding across portions of western-north Texas. The most significant flooding occurred across Knox and Baylor Counties.
Flash Flood · Sep 24, 2016. As a large upper trough moved through and combined with some tropical moisture, abundant rainfall produced flooding across the area on the 24th.
Flash Flood · Nov 6, 2016. Showers and storms associated with a upper low produced some flash flooding in western north Texas. on the morning of the 6th.
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2010. Moist, tropical air remained in place over northern Texas, with scattered showers and thunderstorms remaining a daily late morning into the afternoon occurrence. A weak boundary stalled close to I-44 by early afternoon. Weak flow aloft did not allow for much movement of any thunderstorm, and with precipitable water values well over two inches, intense rainfall occurred over many areas. Flash flooding occurred over…
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 Baylor 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.