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 Hemphill 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Hemphill County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1998, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Smokehouse Creek Fire | Feb 27, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| 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.
10 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Nov 8, 2024 | $8,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 13, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flood | May 23, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2014 | — · 2 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2008 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 13, 2003 | $125,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2001 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Nov 8, 2024. A storm system developed strengthened across the southern Rockies where it slowed down during the evening of November 6th. A cold front moved into the northwest Panhandles but stalled out, persisting throughout the event. This front allowed for snow to fall in parts of the northwest Panhandles while the rest of the Panhandles to the south and east stayed mostly a cold rain. Seasonably rich moisture was brought in…
Flash Flood · Mar 13, 2021. A very potent upper level system produced widespread hazards from heavy snow across the front range/Rockies to severe weather across the Southern High Plains. The vigorous closed upper low was approached the Four Corners region from the west. A warm front lifted north and northwest across all but the Oklahoma Panhandle and the northwest Texas Panhandle while a sharpening dryline was located over eastern New Mexico…
Flood · May 23, 2018. Theta-e ridge axis coupled with a surface boundary leftover across the region helped to trigger thunderstorms across the region. 00Z RAOB data on the 24th showed an abundant of surface moisture with PWAT values over 1 inch and relatively weak surface and mid level flow. As a result, as diurnal convection developed, storms become multi-cell/linear and with them being slow moving in nature, flash flooding was a conc…
Flash Flood · May 27, 2015. Slow moving supercell thunderstorms brought heavy rain and flooding to two sections of the Texas Panhandle. One was near Canadian where water covered Highway 83 resulting in it's closure for a period on the evening of the 27th. The other area was in Armstrong County where some roads were closed.
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 Hemphill 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.