90 flood insurance claims·$1.3M paid·7 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 Bee 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 severe storms and thunderstorms dominates the historical flood profile of Bee County, accounting for 59 out of 69 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general floods, 2 tropical storms, and 1 hurricane.
Severe weather events have repeatedly impacted the area, such as in May 2021 when locally heavy rainfall led to road flooding in Beeville, and in June 2021 when 3 to 5 inches of rain fell from Alice to Beeville, causing flash flooding and road closures.
Property owners in FEMA-designated Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk, as this zone accounts for 43 historical claims with an average payout of $34,019 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Residents in Zone X and unshaded Zone X areas also experience significant risk, having recorded 15 claims averaging $27,410 with an average water depth of 10 inches, and 24 claims averaging $16,178 with an average water depth of 3 inches, respectively.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
38% of Bee County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
69 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 6 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 2001, with 19 claims and $467,395 paid.
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.
18 NOAA storm reports from Bee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Tropical Storm Alex | Jun 27, 2010 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 27, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
69 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 25, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 8, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 6, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 25, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 25, 2022. A strongly unstable air mass developed over south Texas ahead of a frontal boundary on April 25th. Severe storms developed ahead of the boundary and moved south over the Coastal Bend during the late afternoon and early evening. Storms produced wind damage across Jim Wells County during the late afternoon.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2021. A series of disturbances moving across South Texas produced a line of showers and thunderstorms that moved across the Coastal Bend and towards the Middle Texas Coast throughout the day on the 16th. Locally heavy rainfall led to flooding of roads in Beeville, Port Aransas, and Rockport. Fast-moving water from heavy rain in a drainage ditch in Victoria resulted in one direct fatality.
Flood · Jul 8, 2021. Heavy rainfall over several days led to major flooding on some rivers and creeks in south Texas from July 6th through July 9th. The Aransas River and Oso and Copano Creeks went into major flood stage due to the heavy rainfall.
Flood · Jul 6, 2021. Heavy rainfall over several days led to major flooding on some rivers and creeks in south Texas from July 6th through July 9th. The Aransas River and Oso and Copano Creeks went into major flood stage due to the heavy rainfall.
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 Bee 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.