2 flood insurance claims·$2,761 paid·2 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 Hall 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 driven by severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Hall County, complemented by occasional general riverine flooding events. Over the last thirty years, NOAA records show ten flash flood events alongside six standard flood events, often fueled by low-level atmospheric moisture, daytime heating, drylines, and stationary fronts interacting across the region.
Severe storms frequently impact local communities such as Memphis and Estelline. For example, a robust thunderstorm system developed along a quasi-stationary front in May 2022, while an unstable atmosphere produced continually redeveloping storms and severe winds around Estelline in May 2018. Additional flash flood events occurred in May 2024 and April 2025 as weather systems moved across the region.
Federal insurance records reflect minimal historical claims in the county, with single claims recorded in Zone X and Zone X Unshaded. The claim in Zone X averaged a $1,000 payout with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, while the Zone X Unshaded claim averaged a $1,761 payout with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners and real estate agents in unshaded moderate-to-low risk zones should remain aware that intense localized rainfall can still generate flash flooding.
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.
10 NOAA storm reports from Hall County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
16 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2022 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Aug 13, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Oct 5, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2017 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2016 | $5.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 26, 2025. Low level atmospheric moisture continued to increase for another consecutive day across the South Plains and Rolling Plains of West Texas on the afternoon of the 25th. Numerous outflow boundaries, a dryline, and a cold front provided a focus for thunderstorm initiation during the afternoon hours. Three rounds of severe storms affected the Texas South Plains region from the afternoon of the 25th to the early mornin…
Flash Flood · May 1, 2024. Numerous severe thunderstorms developed on the afternoon of the first in advance of a short wave trough moving across southern New Mexico and northern Chihuahua. A dryline initially positioned near the Texas/New Mexico state line early in the morning, mixed eastward through the day, settling along and just east of the Interstate 27/US Highway 87 corridor. Scattered thunderstorms initially developed along this dryl…
Flash Flood · May 31, 2022. Abundant moisture, in combination with strong daytime heating, provided the fuel for robust thunderstorm development along a quasi-stationary front located across the southern Texas Panhandle late on the afternoon of the 31st. Strong instability and moderate wind shear allowed the storms which formed to quickly become severe and gain mid-level rotation. The rotating storms were efficient at generating hail, includ…
Flash Flood · May 13, 2018. On the afternoon of the 13th, a dryline moved east to the Interstate-27 corridor. By the early evening, thunderstorms continually redeveloped around Hall and Motley Counties. These storms were able to take advantage of a very unstable atmosphere and produce hail up to two inches in diameter. Several rounds of thunderstorms affected Hall and Childress Counties, particularly around the Estelline (Hall County) 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 Hall 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.