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 Castro 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 and autumn thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Castro County, accounting for 23 recorded events compared to 6 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Storm history shows that heavy rainfall repeatedly training over saturated soils creates significant local hazards. For example, in May 2023, intense rain falling on saturated ground caused flash flooding in northern Castro County that left numerous roads impassable. Earlier, in August 2018, slow-moving thunderstorms deposited up to five inches of rainfall across western Castro County. Similar heavy rainfall occurred in September 2024 when thunderstorms driven by an upper-level low pressure system moved out of New Mexico into the Texas Panhandle.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated near poor drainage areas, low-lying spots vulnerable to runoff accumulation, and locations experiencing repeated storm training.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5 NOAA storm reports from Castro County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1992, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| 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.
29 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 14, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jul 20, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2014 | — |
| Flood | Jun 6, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 21, 2024. A strong upper level low pressure system moving across the southwestern United States into the four-corners region brought ample lift to create scattered thunderstorms late in the afternoon of the 21st. Thunderstorms initially developed across eastern New Mexico by mid-afternoon in response to the approaching upper level system and moderate boundary layer instability. These thunderstorms moved into the extreme sou…
Flash Flood · May 27, 2023. A complex of thunderstorms developed in northeast New Mexico and parts of the Texas Panhandle on the evening of the 26th and swept southeastward early on the 27th, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to all but the southwestern South Plains. The intense rain, falling on top of already saturated soils, created flash flooding in spots. The most intense rainfall was in northern Castro County where storms repeatedly…
Flash Flood · Aug 15, 2018. A very moist and unstable air mass supported several strong and severe thunderstorms this evening spanning portions of the far southwest Texas Panhandle. Many of these storms were very slow moving and deposited significant rainfall estimated as great as five inches in some areas of eastern Parmer and western Castro Counties.
Flood · Oct 8, 2018. Early morning showers and thunderstorms across much of the South Plains were followed by additional rounds of heavy rainfall through midday. The latter rounds of rain were focused near and just east of the Interstate 27 and US Highway 87 corridor where as much as two inches of rain fell on top of soils that were already saturated from heavy rains that fell just three days earlier. The result was widespread floodi…
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 Castro 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.