16 flood insurance claims·$423,704 paid·8 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 Goliad 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 weather events dominates the flood history of Goliad County, accounting for 38 recorded events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside impacts from 1 hurricane. Significant weather events include May 2013, when 7 to 9 inches of rain caused flash flooding across the area, and August 2017, when Major Hurricane Harvey brought minor to moderate damage to the city of Goliad.
NFIP historical claims data shows losses across multiple zones. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 7 claims with an average payout of $15,343 and an average water depth of 20 inches. Zone A recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $30,315 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $44,707 and an average water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $45,000 and an average water depth of 52 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in unmapped or low-to-moderate risk areas should pay close attention to these patterns, as significant payouts and severe water depths have occurred outside of standard high-risk 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 19 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 1998, with 5 claims and $189,975 paid, the year of Tropical Storm Charley and Flooding 10/18/98.
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 Goliad County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 27, 2008 |
| Hurricane Dean | Aug 17, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 38 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 26, 2017 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Apr 22, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 22, 2015 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 27, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 31, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 13, 2007 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · Aug 26, 2017. Major Hurricane Harvey impacted the Middle Texas coast on August 25th and 26th. Harvey was the first category 4 hurricane to strike Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. Harvey severely affected the cities of Rockport, Fulton, Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Ingleside, Holiday Beach, and Refugio. Minor to moderate damage occurred in cities of Portland, Corpus Christi, Seadrift, Woodsboro, Port Lavaca, Goliad, and Victo…
Flash Flood · Apr 22, 2015. Several supercells developed and tracked east-southeast along a nearly stationary front stretching from the Hill Country to South Texas into the central Gulf of Mexico. These storms contained very large hail, up to tennis ball size near Austwell, and very strong winds greater than 60 mph. Wind damage and flash flooding occurred with these severe thunderstorms also.
Flash Flood · Apr 27, 2013. A strong upper level disturbance moved out of northern Mexico into South Texas during the evening hours of April 27th and early morning hours of April 28th. Numerous thunderstorms moved into the western Brush Country during the evening hours. Very heavy rainfall with these storms produced flooding in the Laredo area. Another area of strong to severe thunderstorms moved through the Victoria Crossroads during the ea…
Flash Flood · May 25, 2013. Deep atmospheric moisture was in place over South Texas during the morning hours on May 25th. A slow moving upper level disturbance moved into the area from the west producing scattered to numerous thunderstorms over the northern Coastal Bend into the Victoria Crossroads. Showers and thunderstorms trained over the same areas into the early afternoon hours. Rain amounts between 7 and 9 inches caused 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 Goliad 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.