563 flood insurance claims·$10.5M paid·3 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 Denton 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 driven by severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Denton County, accounting for 126 events and 4 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 28 general flood events resulting in 3 deaths and 1 tropical depression. Recent activity includes severe storms in May 2025 and September 2025 that produced explosive thunderstorm development, damaging winds, large hail, and isolated flash flooding.
Historical National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X recorded 255 claims with an average water depth of 10 inches and an average payout of $25,942, while Zone A properties recorded 238 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $33,216. Additional claims occurred in Zone UNKNOWN (35 claims, average depth of 4 inches), Zone X_UNSHADED (23 claims, average depth of 3 inches), and Zone X_SHADED (12 claims, average depth of 1 inch).
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists monitoring property risk in Denton County should pay the closest attention to properties located within both traditional high-risk areas like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk zones such as Zone X, where significant numbers of claims and structural water depths have been documented.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Denton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
273 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 2007, with 83 claims and $2.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Tornadoes and Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
50 NOAA storm reports from Denton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 3 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 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 27, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
155 since 1996: 126 flash floods and 28 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2025 | $60,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2024 | $40,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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…
Flash Flood · Sep 22, 2025. On the afternoon of September 21, North Texas experienced explosive thunderstorm development due to a shortwave trough and a meandering front interacting with a warm, unstable environment. These storms persisted through the evening and dissipated overnight into the morning of September 22. Multiple storms produced reports of large hail and damaging winds, with some isolated instances of flash flooding also occurring.
Flash Flood · May 18, 2025. On the afternoon of May 18, scattered thunderstorms ignited over the Big Country, initiated by an upper trough digging southeast over the Intermountain West. These storms formed along a dryline and rapidly intensified, spreading east into western North Texas. Several of these storms produced large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. A total of 6 tornadoes were surveyed were Eastland to Parker counties: one EF-Unk…
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2025. On June 3 and 4, a cold front and a dryline served as focal points for thunderstorm development across North and Central Texas. These storms were associated with several instances of severe weather and flooding. Unfortunately Unfortunately one person died due to flooding in Dallas County, and a lightning strike killed one person and severely injured another person in Grayson County.
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 Denton 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.