17 flood insurance claims·$299,157 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 Duval 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Duval County, which recorded 36 flash flood events alongside 3 standard floods, 2 tropical storms, and 1 tropical depression over the last 30 years according to NOAA data. This risk is illustrated by events such as the slow-moving upper-level disturbance in July 2023 that dropped 4 to 8 inches of rain from north of Alice to Benavides, causing road flooding near and south of San Diego. Tropical systems also pose a threat, demonstrated when Tropical Storm Harold made landfall south of Baffin Bay in August 2023, while excessive rains in August 2022 caused creek and river flooding from runoff originating in Webb and Duval Counties.
NFIP claims data shows historical payouts across multiple zones, including 7 claims in Zone X with an average payout of $33,286 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, and 6 claims in Zone A averaging $15,109 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Additionally, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims averaging a $2,350 payout with an average water depth of 1 inch, while an unknown zone recorded 2 claims averaging $1,020 with an average water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated special flood hazard areas like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk areas like Zone X should pay close attention to these patterns, as historical claims and flash flood events demonstrate that property damage occurs across multiple zones.
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 1 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 5 claims and $21,609 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Duval County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 6 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, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Alex | Jun 27, 2010 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
42 since 1996: 36 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2022 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Aug 16, 2022 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 25, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 24, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Aug 22, 2023. Tropical Storm Harold moved west across south Texas on the 22nd. An area of low pressure developed over the central Gulf of Mexico on the 21st. A large area of high pressure over the central United States into the northern Gulf Coast steered the system quickly westward toward the Middle Texas coast. The low strengthened into Tropical Storm Harold by the early morning hours of the 22nd. Harold increased in strength…
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2023. A slow moving upper level disturbance interacted with deep moisture over south Texas to produce thunderstorms over the inland Coastal Bend during the early morning hours of the 7th. Thunderstorms producing locally heavy rainfall remained over the inland Coastal Bend for several hours. Rainfall amounts ranged from 4 to 8 inches from north of Alice southwest to near Benavides. This caused flooding of roads near and…
Flash Flood · Aug 16, 2022. Runoff from the excessive rains over Webb and Duval Counties on the 15th caused flooding of creeks and rivers into the 16th.
Flood · Aug 16, 2022. Runoff from the excessive rains over Webb and Duval Counties on the 15th caused flooding of creeks and rivers into the 16th.
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 Duval 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.