3,457 flood insurance claims·$69.2M 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 Dallas 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 profile of Dallas County, TX, supported by NOAA Storm Events Database records of 284 flash flood events causing 11 deaths over the last 30 years, compared to 22 general flood events and 2 deaths.
Recent NOAA narratives illustrate these severe weather patterns, noting that slow-moving fronts and upper troughs produced widespread thunderstorms and flash flooding on April 30, 2025, followed by additional rounds of thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding on May 6, 2025.
NFIP claim records show that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. While Zone A recorded 1,976 claims with an average water depth of 5 inches and an average payout of $30,949, moderate-to-low risk zones also experienced significant impacts. Zone X recorded 786 claims with an average water depth of 14 inches and an average payout of $31,462, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 365 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $15,542. Zone X_SHADED recorded 135 claims averaging 3 inches of water depth and $19,860 in payouts, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 187 claims averaging 2 inches of water depth and $7,400 in payouts. Property owners in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-to-low risk zones should pay close attention to these historical flood and claim patterns.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Dallas County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,482 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 7 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 1991, with 344 claims and $4.7M paid, the year of Severe Thunderstorms.
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.
117 NOAA storm reports from Dallas County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
306 since 1996: 284 flash floods and 22 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2025. A slow-moving summer frontal system, in conjunction with occasional disturbances embedded within the northwest flow aloft, generated multiple rounds of thunderstorms both preceding and during the Labor Day weekend. The predominant hazard observed was flash flooding, attributed to the substantial rainfall produced by some of these storms.
Flash Flood · Jan 30, 2025. A slow moving upper low generated multiple rounds of rain, some heavy, the night of January 29 into the morning of January 30 across North Texas. Much of the heavy rain and associated flooding occurred in and near the DFW Metroplex.
Flash Flood · Aug 30, 2025. A slow-moving summer frontal system, in conjunction with occasional disturbances embedded within the northwest flow aloft, generated multiple rounds of thunderstorms both preceding and during the Labor Day weekend. The predominant hazard observed was flash flooding, attributed to the substantial rainfall produced by some of these storms.
Flash Flood · Apr 30, 2025. A slow moving front and an upper trough generated scattered thunderstorms on April 29, and widespread showers and thunderstorms on April 30, across much of North and Central Texas. Some of these storms became severe with large hail and damaging winds, but the most impactful weather was flash flooding due to the slow movement of the front and the resulting ���training��� of thunderstorms along and near…
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 Dallas 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.