170,854 flood insurance claims·$8.7B paid·18 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 Harris 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 and heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Harris County, accounting for the vast majority of local storm events and associated fatalities over the last 30 years. Recent records illustrate this persistent threat, including a series of disturbances in January 2024 that caused widespread home flooding, extensive high-water rescues, and a flood-related fatality, as well as evening storms on April 29, 2024, that produced significant flash flooding alongside tornadoes and wind damage. Tropical systems also present a severe hazard, as demonstrated by coastal flooding along the upper Texas coast in June 2024 when a potential tropical cyclone developed into Tropical Storm Alberto.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood risks extend far beyond designated high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A have accumulated 75,091 claims with an average water depth of 5 inches and an average payout of $70,825. Meanwhile, Zone X properties have filed 72,531 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $66,269. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay close attention to properties across both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk zones, as extensive claims data prove that significant flood damage routinely occurs outside of traditional high-risk flood areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Harris County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
94,781 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 2017, with 49,788 claims and $5.4B paid, the year of Hurricane Harvey.
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.
79 NOAA storm reports from Harris County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
41 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 18 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Tropical Storm Imelda | Sep 17, 2019 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
247 since 1996: 216 flash floods, 10 river or area floods and 9 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2025 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jun 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2025. Heavy rains in the city of Houston produced flash flooding.
Flood · Jun 12, 2025. Storms occurring overnight, producing damaging winds, flooding and brief tornadoes.
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2025. Thunderstorms produced flash flooding along portions of I-10.
Flash Flood · Apr 29, 2024. Evening through overnight storms produced a lot of flash flooding, a couple tornadoes, some winds damage and some hail.
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 Harris 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.