12 flood insurance claims·$73,495 paid·4 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 Comanche 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 summer thunderstorms and saturated atmospheres dominates the flood history of Comanche County. Over the last thirty years, NOAA records document 38 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside 13 general flood events causing two deaths. Slow storm motions and repeated storm training over the same areas have frequently driven these incidents, as seen during the heavy rainfall and flooding events in May 2016 and September 2020, as well as multiple flash flooding events in July 2025 caused by a lingering upper trough.
Federal insurance records reflect property damage across multiple flood zones. Zone A accounts for the highest claim frequency with 9 claims averaging $1,817 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Single claims were also recorded in Zone X, Zone X_UNSHADED, and an unknown zone, with average payouts ranging from $3,723 to $30,000 and average recorded water depths reaching up to 120 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within FEMA-designated Zone A, which experiences the most frequent flood claims, as well as any properties situated in unshaded or poorly defined zones where higher water depths and larger average payouts have been recorded during severe storm events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 22 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 1988, with 4 claims and $4,482 paid.
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 Comanche County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
51 since 1996: 38 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Sep 2, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2016 | $7,000 |
| Flood | Jul 8, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2009 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 2025. From the July 4th weekend into the early part of the following week, a weak upper trough lingered over North and Central Texas, triggering several days of scattered showers and thunderstorms. A saturated atmosphere combined with slow storm motions resulted in numerous flash flooding events throughout the region, particularly in Central Texas.
Flood · Sep 2, 2020. An upper level trough moved very slowly from the Rockies into the Plains during the first week of September, resulting in several days of showers and thunderstorms. Many storms became strong with gusty winds and hail, but the primary result was heavy rain and flooding. Unfortunately, a couple died in Temple Texas in a house fire that was started by lightning.
Flood · May 27, 2016. A series of upper level disturbances produced multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms across the region. A few storms became severe with large hail and damaging wind gusts, but storms training repeatedly over the same areas led to this being mostly a flood and flash flood event.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2016. A series of upper level disturbances produced multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms across the region. A few storms became severe with large hail and damaging wind gusts, but storms training repeatedly over the same areas led to this being mostly a flood and flash flood event.
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 Comanche 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.