2 flood insurance claims·$13,410 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 Irion 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 and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Irion County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 20 flash flood events, alongside 4 general flood events and 1 tropical depression.
Severe weather events have historically caused significant localized impacts. For example, a slow-moving storm system and tropical moisture produced flash flooding in Mertzon on August 17, 2021. Earlier, on May 19, 2021, approaching low pressure systems and warm fronts brought severe weather and flash flooding risks to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that Zone X properties have experienced historical claims, averaging $13,410 per payout with an average recorded water depth of 99 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone X, as moderate-to-low risk areas still experience damaging water depths during extreme rainfall 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 99 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Irion County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Extreme Fire Hazards | Aug 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Sep 21, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2012 | — |
| Tropical Depression | Aug 16, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2006 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2024. A significant heavy rainfall event occurred early in the month across mainly the Concho Valley, northern Heartland and southern Big Country due to a slow moving upper level storm system and a very moist tropical airmass, which was near record levels for early September. Numerous showers and a few thunderstorms produced localized heavy rainfall amounts greater than 10 inches across portions of northeast Tom Green,…
Flash Flood · May 19, 2021. Isolated dryline thunderstorms developed on the evening of May 16, well in advance of an approaching upper level low. These storms produced an EF-0 tornado on the north side of Anson, and large hail and damaging winds in Fisher and Haskell Counties. An approaching upper low from New Mexico interacted with a warm front on May 17, and produced a long track EF2 tornado across northern Sterling County along with sev…
Flash Flood · Aug 17, 2021. The combination of abundant tropical moisture and a weak upper level disturbance produced a complex of slow moving thunderstorms across the Concho Valley. As a result, very heavy rain fell in a short period of time on the morning of August 17 and produced flash flooding in San Angelo and Mertzon. Also, radar rainfall estimates were 9 to 10 inches in northwest Tom Green County, just west of OC Fisher Reservoir.
Flash Flood · May 8, 2019. Daytime heating, an approaching upper level low pressure system and a dryline across West Central Texas triggered the development of a few supercell thunderstorms. These storms continued to form until shortly after midnight on May 8. These severe storms produced baseball size hail near Sonora and damaging thunderstorm wind gust reports across the 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 Irion 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.