499 flood insurance claims·$14.4M paid·4 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 Bell 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 dominates the flood character of Bell County, accounting for 159 recorded events and 11 deaths over the last 30 years, compared to 25 standard flood events.
Recent events illustrate this risk. On April 30, 2025, a slow-moving front and upper trough generated widespread showers and thunderstorms, causing impactful flash flooding due to the training of storms. Shortly after, on May 6, 2025, a sharp upper trough and meandering surface front produced two rounds of thunderstorms accompanied by large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay close attention to properties across multiple FEMA zones where claims have occurred. In Zone X, 213 claims averaged a payout of $31,213 with an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. In Zone A, 180 claims averaged a payout of $50,760 with an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Unshaded Zone X recorded 69 claims averaging $23,690 with an average water depth of 18 inches, while shaded Zone X recorded 22 claims averaging $66,857 with an average water depth of 6 inches. An additional 15 claims were recorded in unknown zones, averaging $999 with an average water depth of 1 inch.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
34% of Bell County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
271 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 13 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 2010, with 118 claims and $8.8M 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.
38 NOAA storm reports from Bell County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 4 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 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Rein Street Fire | Jun 3, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| Rosewood Fire | Jan 5, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
184 since 1996: 159 flash floods and 25 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 30, 2025. A slow moving front and an upper trough generated scattered thunderstorms on April 29, and widespread showers and thunderstorms on April 30, across much of North and Central Texas. Some of these storms became severe with large hail and damaging winds, but the most impactful weather was flash flooding due to the slow movement of the front and the resulting ���training��� of thunderstorms along and near…
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred the weekend of July 12, influenced by remnant outflow boundaries, a stalled front, and a slow-moving upper low. A mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) further enhanced precipitation totals and rain rates, resulting in flash flooding primarily across Central Texas.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2025. An upper level low and remnant MCVs produced several rounds of heavy rain and training storms that produced flash flooding for a few day across the region, mainly across Central Texas.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2025. From the July 4th weekend into the early part of the following week, a weak upper trough lingered over North and Central Texas, triggering several days of scattered showers and thunderstorms. A saturated atmosphere combined with slow storm motions resulted in numerous flash flooding events throughout the region, particularly in Central Texas.
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 Bell 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.