831 flood insurance claims·$8.0M paid·13 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 Calhoun 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 floods and tropical systems dominate the flood risk profile in Calhoun County, backed by NOAA records of 34 flash flood events, 14 tropical storms, and 12 storm surge or tide events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include Tropical Storm Alberto in June 2024, which produced significant coastal flooding with 3 to 3.5 feet of inundation along the Middle Texas coast, bays, and waterways. Additionally, severe storms in June 2024 brought severe wind gusts and flash flooding that resulted in property damage near Magnolia Beach, while Hurricane Beryl made landfall nearby as a category 1 hurricane in July 2024 with impacts confined to Victoria and Calhoun counties.
Federal insurance claims data shows significant vulnerability across multiple zones. Zone A recorded 339 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $11,245. Zone X recorded 218 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $41,299, while Zone V recorded 102 claims with an average water depth of 6 inches and an average payout of $13,944. Shaded and unshaded Zone X properties also recorded numerous claims with average water depths of 1 and 2 inches, respectively. Coastal properties, homes in high-risk V and A zones, and properties in moderate-to-low risk X zones should pay close attention to these hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of Calhoun County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
610 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 2017, with 270 claims and $3.3M paid, the year of Hurricane Harvey.
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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Calhoun County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Hurricane Alex | Jun 30, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
72 since 1996: 34 flash floods, 5 river or area floods and 17 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 8, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 1, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Sep 13, 2021 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 13, 2021 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Jun 19, 2024. Tropical Storm Alberto was a very broad and unorganized storm that developed across the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Alberto eventually made landfall between the hours of 4-7 AM on June 20, 2024 near Tampico, Mexico. The system brought a variety of hazards to the region, including storm surge, heavy rains, strong winds, and a couple isolated tornadoes. Significant coastal flooding, around 3 to 3.5 feet of inundati…
Tropical Storm · Jul 8, 2024. Beryl became the earliest category 5 atlantic hurricane on July 1st between the Lesser Antilles and the Dominican Republic. Beryl rapidly weakened to tropical storm strength as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula moving west-northward, shifting north and east along the Texas Coast on its trajectory persistently until landfall near Matagorda, TX during the early morning hours of July 8th as a category 1 hurricane. Not…
Flash Flood · Jun 1, 2024. A cluster of strong to severe storms over the Victoria Crossroads moved southeastward into Calhoun County and the Bays of the Middle to Upper Texas Coast. Severe wind gusts were reported in the morning of June 1st, with a later storm survey reporting two capsized boats, RV and shed completely destroyed, loss of shingles, and a snapped power pole near Magnolia Beach in Calhoun County.
Tropical Storm · Aug 22, 2023. Tropical Storm Harold moved west across south Texas on the 22nd. An area of low pressure developed over the central Gulf of Mexico on the 21st. A large area of high pressure over the central United States into the northern Gulf Coast steered the system quickly westward toward the Middle Texas coast. The low strengthened into Tropical Storm Harold by the early morning hours of the 22nd. Harold increased in strength…
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 Calhoun 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.