43 flood insurance claims·$2.5M 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 Blanco 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 driven by severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Blanco County, Texas. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 73 flash flood events resulting in 5 deaths, compared to only 6 general flood events. Recent severe weather events highlight this hazard, such as the heavy rain and flash flooding produced by thunderstorms on November 4, 2024, and the excessive rain episode on October 13, 2021, driven by a cold front interacting with the remnants of Pacific Hurricane Pamela.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple designated zones. Zone X properties recorded 24 claims with an average payout of $113,213 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Zone A properties accounted for 16 claims with an average payout of $15,849 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Additionally, Zone X Unshaded properties recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $91,641 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within both mapped high-risk riverine areas (Zone A) and moderate-to-low risk areas (Zone X and Zone X Unshaded), as historical claims and significant average water depths demonstrate that flood risks extend well beyond standard high-risk flood zones.
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 9 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 2015, with 33 claims and $2.4M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Blanco County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
79 since 1996: 73 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Nov 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 13, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 3, 2019 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Nov 4, 2024. A cold front moved into a very warm, moist airmass and generated thunderstorms. Temperatures in the warm sector were near record highs when the front moved through. Some of the storms produced large hail and heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 1, 2024. A mid-level shortwave trough moved over a warm, moist airmass and generated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Oct 13, 2021. A complicated weather pattern developed over South Central Texas when a dryline and cold front moved out of West Texas as an upper level low moved into the Central Plains. At the same time the remnants of Pacific Hurricane Pamela moved across northern Mexico. The airmass over the region was warm and moist with near record precipitable water values. This set up led to an excessive rain episode with considerable fla…
Flash Flood · May 8, 2019. Thunderstorms developed along a dryline in West Texas and moved into South Central Texas. Some of these storms produced large hail, damaging wind gusts, and heavy rain 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 Blanco 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.