1,223 flood insurance claims·$60.4M paid·7 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 Comal 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 dominates the flood history of Comal County, accounting for 135 events and 6 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 8 general flood events and 1 tropical storm. Recent NOAA records illustrate this hazard, including heavy rain and flash flooding produced by thunderstorms moving across a stationary front in May 2025, as well as excessive rainfall driven by near-record precipitable water levels in July 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A account for 571 claims with an average water depth of 24 inches and an average payout of $63,486. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 342 claims with an average water depth of 13 inches and an average payout of $47,638, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 223 claims with an average water depth of 16 inches and an average payout of $56,808, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 86 claims with an average water depth of 15 inches and an average payout of $82,496. One claim was recorded in Zone UNKNOWN with an average water depth of 0 inches and an average payout of $20.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in designated high-risk Zone A areas as well as properties located within Zone X variants, where historical claims demonstrate significant average water depths and financial losses from heavy rainfall.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
35% of Comal County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
880 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 20 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 2002, with 329 claims and $20.0M 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Comal County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Tropical Storm Alex | Jun 27, 2010 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
144 since 1996: 135 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 14, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 13, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2025. An upper-level shortwave trough moved across a stationary front that was stretched across Central Texas. Some of these storms moved into South-Central Texas producing damaging wind gusts and large hail. There were also a few reports of heavy rain leading to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2025. A mid-level shortwave trough moved over Texas and combined with an abnormally moist airmass to generate thunderstorms. These storms were very efficient rain producers dropping locally heavy rain that led to flash flooding. There were also a few severe thunderstorms.
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…
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 Comal 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.