1 flood insurance claims·$59,328 paid·6 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 Kenedy 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.
Flood risk in Kenedy County is primarily driven by coastal storm surge, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Over the last 30 years, recorded events in the NOAA Storm Events Database include 10 storm surge or tide events, 8 tropical storms, 2 hurricanes, and 1 coastal flood event.
Recent activity highlights these coastal and tropical hazards. In June 2024, strong high pressure over the southeast United States combined with broad low pressure in the southwest Gulf to produce rising tides, coastal run-up, wave energy featuring 12-plus foot waves, and beach erosion along the barrier island. Additionally, Tropical Storm Harold made landfall in August 2023 along the unpopulated Padre Island National Seashore on the northern Kenedy coastline, carrying sustained winds of 50 mph with gusts over 60 mph and bringing sporadic power outages as it crossed the county.
Federal flood insurance data reflects limited historical claims, with a single recorded claim in Zone X_UNSHADED resulting in an average payout of $59,328 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Coastal properties and locations exposed to storm surge, tropical systems, and high tides should pay the most attention to flood risk in this area.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12 NOAA storm reports from Kenedy County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 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 Alex | Jun 27, 2010 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 27, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 11 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jun 19, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2023 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Aug 26, 2020 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jul 25, 2020 | $11,870 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Jul 25, 2020 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 21, 2020 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Oct 10, 2020 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Oct 8, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Storm Surge/Tide · Jun 19, 2024. The difference between unusually strong (for late June) high pressure over the southeast U.S. and broad low pressure in the southwest Gulf brought a gradual increase in wave energy and rising tides (coastal run up) on the Lower Texas coast barrier island. Departures from predicted began to spike during the afternoon of June 18th, with the combination of wave energy (from 12+ foot waves and a 10-12 second swell pe…
Tropical Storm · Aug 22, 2023. Tropical Storm Harold made landfall along the unpopulated Padre Island National Seashore on the northern Kenedy coastline just before 10:00AM CDT Tuesday, August 22nd carrying sustained winds of 50 mph with gusts over 60 mph in a small portion of the developing eye. Harold spun quickly across northern Kenedy, Brooks, and Jim Hogg Counties during the day on August 22nd before weakening to a Tropical Depression over…
Storm Surge/Tide · Aug 26, 2020. As Hurricane Laura traversed northward across the Gulf of Mexico in late August, outgoing swell propagated into the lower Texas coastal waters on August 27th. This swell was powerful enough to push water into the dunes across South Padre Island around high tide, which occurred at 2:36 AM CDT. The highest level that was reported was 1.87 feet above Mean Higher-High Water (MHHW; or the level above normally dry groun…
Storm Surge/Tide · Jul 25, 2020. Hurricane Hanna, the 2020 Atlantic season's first Hurricane, made landfall along the unpopulated Padre Island National Seashore on the mid-Kenedy County coastline as a Category 1 storm at around 5 PM Central Time Saturday, July 25th, carrying sustained 90 mph winds with gusts over 100 mph in a small portion of the inner eye wall. The hurricane spun slowly but steadily into southern Kenedy and northern Hidalgo Coun…
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 Kenedy 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.