533 flood insurance claims·$9.5M paid·6 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 Brown 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 summer thunderstorms and severe weather systems dominates the flood character of Brown County, TX. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 63 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths, compared to 5 general flood events resulting in 1 death. Recent historical events include flash flooding driven by remnant tropical moisture and upper-level low pressure in July 2025, as well as severe weather patterns featuring upper-level southwest flow, extreme instability, and drylines in May 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Zone A has accumulated the highest impact with 300 claims averaging $21,840 payouts and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. However, properties in lower-risk zones also experience losses; Zone X_SHADED recorded 132 claims averaging $19,512 with an average 2-inch water depth, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 64 claims averaging $29,708 with an average 2-inch water depth, and Zone X recorded 30 claims averaging $21,342 with an average 3-inch water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located in FEMA Zone A, while remaining aware of the substantial historical claim activity and water depths present across all shaded and unshaded Zone X designations.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
40% of Brown County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
496 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 3 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 2002, with 117 claims and $3.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Brown County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 6 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 |
| 259 Fire | Jul 23, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
68 since 1996: 63 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 12, 2019 | $5,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Oct 17, 2018 | $2.4M |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2025. Remnant tropical moisture along with an upper level area of low pressure resulted in showers and thunderstorms across portions of the northwest Hill Country, which produced flash flooding on July 7th. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms developed across portions of the Concho Valley and Big Country on July 8th and July 9th, producing severe wind gusts.
Flash Flood · May 4, 2024. A favorable weather pattern for widespread severe weather was in place across west central Texas during early May. There was an upper level southwest flow and a sharp dryline in the area. Also, extreme instability was present along with strong vertical wind shear during the late afternoon and evening hours. A supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado in Crockett County. Also, severe thunderstorms produced large ha…
Flash Flood · May 6, 2023. The combination of a well defined surface dryline, weak upper level disturbances, and strong to extreme instability, resulted in scattered afternoon and evening severe thunderstorms across portions of the Big Country and Heartland areas. The severe storms were mainly east of an Haskell to Abilene to Ballinger to Brownwood line. The vertical wind shear was strong enough for most of the storms to become supercell th…
Flash Flood · May 24, 2022. A surface outflow boundary and dryline was located across the Concho Valley during the afternoon hours along with strong instability to the south of the boundary. Scattered severe thunderstorms quickly developed across the Concho Valley by late afternoon and the combination of the strong instability and deep layer shear resulted in a few supercells. These storms produced baseball to one report of softball size hai…
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 Brown 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.