626 flood insurance claims·$24.7M 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 Burnet 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 dominates Burnet County, with 91 recorded flash flood events compared to 4 general flood events over the last 30 years. NOAA storm data documents deadly flash flooding during July 2025, when parts of Burnet and Travis Counties received 12 to 16 inches of rain in approximately six hours from efficient rain-making thunderstorms, resulting in four deaths in Burnet County.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood damage occurs across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A account for the highest impact with 508 claims, an average payout of $58,297, and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Additionally, properties in Zone X recorded 97 claims with an average payout of $29,680 and an average water depth of 11 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 20 claims with an average payout of $3,979 and an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $7,695 and an average water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X, where claims and payout volumes are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Burnet County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
509 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 8 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 2018, with 322 claims and $17.6M 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.
27 NOAA storm reports from Burnet County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 2, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Park Road Fire | Jul 29, 2018 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
95 since 1996: 91 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2025 | $6.0M · 2 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 5, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 16, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Oct 16, 2018 | $30.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. Thunderstorms formed along an outflow boundary in a moist airmass over Central Texas and moved into the Hill Country and Edwards Plateau. Some of these storms produced locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2025. Precipitable water values over South-Central Texas remained near record levels, and a mid-level anticyclonic circulation continued over Central Texas providing lift to generate thunderstorms. These storms were efficient rain making storms leading to another night of excessive rainfall. Parts of Burnet and Travis Counties received 12-16 inches of rain in approximately six hours that led to deadly flash flooding. Ei…
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2025. Precipitable water values over South-Central Texas remained near record levels, and a mid-level anticyclonic circulation continued over Central Texas providing lift to generate thunderstorms. These storms were efficient rain making storms leading to another night of excessive rainfall. Parts of Burnet and Travis Counties received 12-16 inches of rain in approximately six hours that led to deadly flash flooding. Ei…
Flash Flood · May 5, 2023. Thunderstorms developed along a dryline and moved through the northeastern part of South Central Texas. These storms formed in a strongly unstable airmass producing large hail, damaging wind gusts, and some localized 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 Burnet 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.