83 flood insurance claims·$4.4M 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 Colorado 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 slow-moving thunderstorms and disturbances dominates the flood history of Colorado County, which recorded 27 flash flood events alongside 4 general flood events and 2 tropical storms over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include a series of disturbances in January 2024 that resulted in numerous flash flood events, the flooding of many homes, extensive high water rescues, and a flood-related fatality. Additionally, slow-moving thunderstorms in August 2022 dropped locally heavy rain that led to localized flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Properties located in FEMA Zone A account for 43 claims with an average payout of $92,348 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X account for 33 claims with an average payout of $62,092 and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within FEMA Zone A and Zone X, as both areas have a documented history of significant flood claims and structural water accumulation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Colorado 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 11 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 31 claims and $2.6M 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Colorado County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 17, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2022 | — |
| Flood | May 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 7, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 18, 2016 | $2.5M |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jan 24, 2024. A series of disturbances moved across the area resulting in numerous flash flood events that resulted in the flooding of many homes, extensive high water rescues, and a flood-related fatality.
Flash Flood · Aug 24, 2022. A slow moving thunderstorm dropped locally heavy rain over portions of Colorado County leading to localized flash flooding.
Flood · May 19, 2021. Showers and thunderstorms moved across the area in the evening through late night hours and produced wind damage, lightning damage and some flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2020. A slow-moving line of showers and thunderstorms produced heavy rain across the Houston metropolitan area. This led to instances of flash flooding to the Southwest of the city of Houston over a period of several hours.
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 Colorado 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.