31 flood insurance claims·$479,763 paid·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 Howard 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 risk in Howard County, Texas. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 86 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths, compared to only 2 general flood events. Severe weather patterns, such as a May 2025 event driven by an upper-level disturbance, a dryline, and a cold front moving across the northern Permian Basin, have produced strong storms and flash flooding in the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims occur across multiple zones, with notable payouts recorded outside of primary high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 15 claims with an average payout of $5,374 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X records 11 claims with a higher average payout of $39,029 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Additionally, properties with unknown zone designations account for 3 claims with an average payout of $30,704 and an average water depth of 10 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED has 2 claims averaging $1,301 with a 1-inch average depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X and unmapped areas where significant average claim payouts indicate vulnerability to localized high-water 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 2 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 1986, with 7 claims and $10,594 paid.
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.
37 NOAA storm reports from Howard County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Boyken Road Fire | Jun 20, 2011 |
| Matt Loop Fire | May 9, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Kentwood Fire | Mar 31, 2008 |
| Silver Heels Fire | Mar 27, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
88 since 1996: 86 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2025 | $70,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 4, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 2, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 29, 2025. A disturbance in the quasi-zonal/northwesterly flow aloft, a dryline, and a cold front moving across the northern Permian Basin allowed for the development of scattered thunderstorms across Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. Thunderstorm coverage continued to increase into the afternoon and evening, and a number of storms became severe. The strongest storm of the day was in Dawson and Howard counties. This storm…
Flood · Apr 20, 2024. A shortwave trough ejecting out into the southern Great Plains aided in the development of a convective system across the Permian Basin. This convective system resulted in flooding across portions of the Permian Basin.
Flash Flood · May 4, 2024. A cold front moved across the Permian Basin before stalling during the afternoon. Several intense supercells formed along and behind this front, producing very large hail. Another area of thunderstorms developed near Fort Stockton. Very large hail and several tornadoes were produced by these supercells as they tracked southeast, mainly between US Highway 385 and US Highway 285.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2024. Widespread slow-moving showers with moderate rain led to continued areas of flash flooding across the Permian Basin.
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 Howard 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.