63 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·8 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 Burleson 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 thunderstorms and tropical weather systems dominates the flood character of Burleson County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 18 flash flood events and 2 tropical storm events. Notable recent impacts include heavy rainfall and flash flooding from strong thunderstorms in May 2021, as well as catastrophic regional flooding produced by Tropical Storm Harvey in August 2017.
Federal flood insurance claims data highlights varied risk across different zones in the county. Properties located in Zone A account for the highest claim frequency with 45 recorded claims averaging $23,944 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties have accounted for 15 claims with a higher average payout of $77,012 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. An additional 3 claims with an average payout of $3,776 and an average water depth of 2 inches occurred in zones with unknown designations.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within FEMA Zone A, which experiences the highest volume of flood insurance claims, while remaining aware that moderate-to-high severity flood events also affect properties located in Zone X.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Burleson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
45 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 4 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 1994, with 11 claims and $40,211 paid, the year of Severe Thunderstorms 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Burleson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1987, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 18 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 25, 2017 | $20.0M |
| Flash Flood | Oct 24, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2015 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 28, 2012 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2004 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2021. Strong thunderstorms resulted in wind damage across Greater Houston and flash flooding in Burleson County.
Tropical Storm · Aug 25, 2017. Harvey made landfall as a category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Texas during the evening of August 25th. The storm then weakened to a tropical storm and slowed, looping back and tracking over SE Texas then back over the Gulf of Mexico making a second landfall along the Louisiana coast during the early morning hours of August 30th. Over that 5 day period over Southeast Texas TS Harvey produced catastrophic flooding…
Flash Flood · Oct 24, 2015. The remnants of Hurricane Patricia merged with a developing frontal low to produce an intense surface low off the Texas Gulf Coast. As this low moved up the upper Texas coast it produced moderate to heavy rainfall that broad flooding to some areas, an isolated tornado and waterspout, and minor coastal flooding due to elevated stormtides.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2015. An early morning slow moving thunderstorm produced some wind damage and 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 Burleson 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.