187 flood insurance claims·$2.5M paid·1 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 Ector 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 profile of Ector County, supported by 157 recorded flash flood events and 3 general flood events over the last 30 years, resulting in 1 death. Severe weather and heavy rainfall have driven recent incidents, including flash flooding and water rescues in Odessa on July 9, 2025, from a decaying mesoscale convective system, as well as urban flooding in Odessa on August 29, 2025, caused by storms forming along a stationary boundary.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage occurs across multiple zones, led by Zone A with 146 claims averaging a payout of $18,622 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone X accounts for 26 claims with an average payout of $30,522 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while properties with unknown zones account for 15 claims averaging $4,020 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and Zone X should pay the most attention to these flood risks, as both zones have accumulated significant claim histories and identical average recorded water depths during flooding events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Ector County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
146 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 4 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 33 claims and $363,612 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.
77 NOAA storm reports from Ector County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Pleasant Farms Fire | Apr 26, 2011 |
| Bates Field Fire | Apr 3, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| South Odessa Fire | Feb 25, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
160 since 1996: 157 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2025 | $80,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 17, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2025. A stationary boundary draped across Southeast New Mexico and West Texas became a focus for shower and thunderstorm development during the afternoon of the 29th. A few storms produced damaging wind gusts, and some urban flooding was reported in Odessa.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2025. A cold front/outflow boundary, coupled with vorticity maxima in the northwesterly flow aloft, resulted in the development of severe thunderstorms in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico during the evening and overnight hours on June 9th. Supercells formed initially, but storms eventually grew upscale later that night. These storms produced multiple instances of severe winds (especially the MCS)…
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2025. An MCS (which originated in southwestern Oklahoma and northern Texas) moved into the northern Permian Basin during the early morning hours of the 9th. Though the system was weakening as it moved into the Permian Basin, it was able to produce damaging winds in Snyder. Flash flooding and water rescues were also reported in Odessa due to heavy rain associated with the decaying MCS.
Flash Flood · Jul 3, 2025. Anomalously high moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry encouraged the development of tropical downpours across West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. These downpours resulted in Flash Flooding for portions of the area.
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 Ector 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.