12 flood insurance claims·$52,172 paid·1 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 Brewster 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 tropical downpours and monsoonal moisture dominates the flood hazard in Brewster County, accounting for 78 out of 79 recorded flood events over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. In June 2025, an approaching trough from northern Mexico combined with monsoonal moisture to produce localized flash flooding. Shortly after in July 2025, anomalously high moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry brought tropical downpours and additional flash flooding to portions of the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, including 8 claims in Zone A averaging a $6,368 payout with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, 2 claims in Zone X averaging a $29,148 payout with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, and 2 claims in Zone UNKNOWN averaging a $1,960 payout with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to these localized flash flood risks, as both zones have recorded historical claims and measurable water depths during flood events.
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 1 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 1999, with 3 claims and $18,950 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Brewster County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1998, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Gage Holland Fire | May 8, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
79 since 1996: 78 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2025 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2022 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2022 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2025. An approaching trough out of northern Mexico and continued monsoonal moisture resulted in areas of localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 3, 2025. Anomalously high moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry encouraged the development of tropical downpours across West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. These downpours resulted in Flash Flooding for portions of the area.
Flash Flood · Jun 1, 2024. Continued troughing across the western CONUS with shortwave impulses moving into the southern Great Plains aided in the development of afternoon severe thunderstorms and localized flash flooding across the Davis Mountains and vicinity.
Flash Flood · May 25, 2023. A long-track complex of thunderstorms developed off of the higher terrain of eastern New Mexico and moved southeast. This complex produced severe wind gusts across the northern Permian Basin early that morning. Additional thunderstorms developed across portions of the higher elevations of the Davis Mountains later that afternoon. Severe winds and flash flooding were observed with these thunderstorms.
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 Brewster 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.