90 flood insurance claims·$3.4M paid·5 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 Henderson 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 dominates the flood hazard profile in Henderson County, TX, supported by 48 flash flood events, 10 general flood events resulting in 1 death, and 1 tropical storm recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database. Severe weather patterns have driven notable regional flooding, including events generated by an upper-level low pressure system and cold front in May 2022, as well as storms associated with a cold front and dryline in June 2025.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (NFIP) claim data demonstrates that flood risk extends across multiple zones. Properties in Zone X account for 71 claims with an average payout of $55,181 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Zone A accounts for 17 claims with an average payout of $65,017 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN accounts for 2 claims with an average payout of $6,584 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in mapped flood hazard areas like Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X where accumulated claims indicate substantial historical flood risk during severe storm events.
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 10 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 2015, with 20 claims and $746,175 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding and Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding.
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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Henderson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 7, 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 48 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Mar 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2025 | $150,000 |
| Flood | May 5, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2020 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 9, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 9, 2016 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2025. A sharp upper trough and a meandering surface front generated two rounds of thunderstorms across the region, one round on May 5 and the other on May 6. Most of the severe weather took place on the 6th, when large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes occurred. A total of 5 tornadoes were surveyed in the far southeast parts of the County Warning Area: two EF-0s and three EF-1s. The strongest tornado had winds u…
Flood · Mar 4, 2025. A deep upper trough moving east through the Plains was accompanied by a Pacific cold front, along which a line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed early in the morning of March 4. This line of storms produced damaging winds in the 80-100 mph at times, a few hail reports, and two tornadoes as it pushed east through North and Central Texas the morning of March 4. The damaging thunderstorm winds left notable…
Flash Flood · Jun 4, 2025. On June 3 and 4, a cold front and a dryline served as focal points for thunderstorm development across North and Central Texas. These storms were associated with several instances of severe weather and flooding. Unfortunately Unfortunately one person died due to flooding in Dallas County, and a lightning strike killed one person and severely injured another person in Grayson County.
Flood · May 5, 2022. An upper level low pressure system and a cold front worked together to generate a round of strong to severe thunderstorms during the day of Thursday May 5. Activity was focused primarily along and ahead of the cold front, and most of the strong to severe storms occurred across our Central and East Texas counties.
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 Henderson 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.