19 flood insurance claims·$114,353 paid·4 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 La Salle 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 intense summer and autumn thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of La Salle County, supported by 29 recorded flash flood events and 7 general flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall from tropical systems and watershed runoff frequently impacts the region, as demonstrated in August 2022 when a tropical low pressure system caused major river flooding along the Nueces River from southeast La Salle County through McMullen and Live Oak counties. Similarly, heavy rain episodes over the Upper Nueces River watershed produced periods of major flooding on the Nueces River in October 2018.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with Zone A recording 10 claims averaging a $20,404 payout and 1 inch of recorded water depth. Properties with unknown zone designations accounted for 8 claims averaging an $8,006 payout and 1 inch of recorded water depth, while Zone X saw 1 claim with a $21,117 payout and an average recorded water depth of 43 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated near rivers like the Nueces, as well as those located in Zone A and areas with unknown flood zone designations where historical claims and heavy watershed runoff pose significant risks.
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 7 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 2004, with 7 claims and $17,025 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from La Salle County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| 322 Fire | Mar 15, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 29 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 17, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Oct 20, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Oct 15, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Sep 28, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2017 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2016 | — |
| Flood | May 24, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 17, 2022. Very heavy rainfall occurred over Webb and Duval Counties associated with a tropical low pressure system on the 15th and 16th. Flood wave that originated in San Casamiro Creek in Webb County flowed into the Nueces River, Major river flooding occurred from southeast La Salle County through McMullen County to Live Oak County from the 17th through the 24th.
Flash Flood · Aug 15, 2022. As the tropical disturbance moves west into the Brush Country on the 15th, bands of showers and thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall. This caused flash flooding in the Laredo area and over portions of the Brush Country. Rainfall estimates of 5 to 8 inches were widespread across the Brush Country with localized amounts of 10 to 15 inches over western Duval County and southwest Webb County.
Flood · Oct 20, 2018. A couple of episodes of locally heavy rain on the 7th and 15th over the Upper Nueces River watershed provided periods of major flooding on the Nueces River in La Salle County during the month of October.
Flood · Oct 15, 2018. A couple of episodes of locally heavy rain on the 7th and 15th over the Upper Nueces River watershed provided periods of major flooding on the Nueces River in La Salle County during the month of October.
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 La Salle 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.