11 flood insurance claims·$475,989 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 Dimmit 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 convective weather systems dominates the flood history of Dimmit County. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, the county experienced 43 flash flood events, 10 general flood events, and 1 tropical storm.
Heavy rainfall events are frequently driven by stationary fronts and tropical moisture. For example, in September 2024, convection along a stationary front in an anomalously moist airmass produced slow-moving storms and flash flooding. Similarly, in September 2017, the remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Pilar contributed mid-level moisture that interacted with upper-level troughs to trigger heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in multiple zones should maintain awareness of flood risks. Zone A accounts for 5 claims with an average payout of $7,677 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X records include 2 claims with an average payout of $158,235 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone X_Unshaded accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $64,237 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone Unknown records show 2 claims with an average payout of $337 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties mapped in both Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk areas like Zone X where high-severity payouts have occurred.
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 2 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 2013, with 5 claims and $155,941 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Dimmit County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1983, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| 322 Fire | Mar 15, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
54 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 11, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Sep 27, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 21, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2024. Convection formed in the vicinity of a stationary front over South-Central Texas. Thunderstorms developed in an anomalously moist airmass with weak steering flow. This led to slow moving, heavy rain producing cells and flash flooding.
Flood · May 11, 2021. Thunderstorms developed along a stationary front over South Central Texas for a third straight day. Some of these storms produced large hail.
Flood · Sep 27, 2017. The remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Pilar moved across Mexico adding mid-level moisture to an already moist boundary layer. Precipitable water values were around 2.5 inches when a series of upper level shortwave troughs initiated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2017. The remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Pilar moved across Mexico adding mid-level moisture to an already moist boundary layer. Precipitable water values were around 2.5 inches when a series of upper level shortwave troughs initiated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding.
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 Dimmit 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.