6 flood insurance claims·$56,860 paid·4 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 Frio 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 and tropical weather remnants dominates the flood history of Frio County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 66 flash floods, 12 general floods, and 1 tropical storm.
Heavy rainfall events frequently stem from complex weather interactions, such as thunderstorms forming along cold fronts or mesoscale convective systems moving into tropical airmasses. For example, heavy rain and flash flooding occurred in August 2016 when a mesoscale convective system combined with a passing cold front. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding were also recorded in September 2017 as the remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Pilar moved across Mexico and interacted with moist boundary layer conditions.
Federal insurance claims data shows limited historical payouts across designated zones, with claims recorded in Zone UNKNOWN averaging $18,803 with an average of 1 inch of recorded water depth, Zone A averaging $0 with an average of 0 inches of recorded water depth, and Zone X_SHADED averaging $450 with an average of 0 inches of recorded water depth. Residents in unmapped areas and those with properties outside of traditional high-risk zones should pay close attention to potential flash flooding driven by heavy localized rainfall.
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 3 claims and $13,356 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Tropical Storm Fay.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Frio County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
79 since 1996: 66 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 27, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2012 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 16, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · May 20, 2017. Thunderstorms formed along a cold front. Some of these storms produced severe hail and then flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2016. Convection formed over the northern Mexican mountains during the afternoon and evening of August 20 beneath an upper level trough over the southern plains. This convection eventually formed into a mesoscale convective system as a low level jet developed overnight. The MCS produced heavy rain as it moved into a tropical airmass over South Central Texas. The MCS dissipated, and then convection redeveloped as a cold…
Flash Flood · Jun 2, 2016. A cold front moved into South Central Texas and encountered a very moist boundary layer. This front generated thunderstorms that produced large hail, damaging wind gusts, and heavy rain 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 Frio 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.