139 flood insurance claims·$2.6M 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 Lamar 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 weather events dominates the flood character of Lamar County, accounting for 43 of the last 30 years of recorded flood events, compared to 5 standard flood events.
Recent occurrences include flash flooding observed during training storms on March 14, 2024, as well as multiple rounds of heavy rain and storms associated with a cold front moving through North Texas on April 5, 2025.
NFIP claim data indicates that residents with properties in Zone A should pay the most attention, accounting for the vast majority of historical claims with 97 filings averaging $23,943 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. However, properties in Zone X also require attention, having recorded 21 claims with an average payout of $30,709 and an average water depth of 17 inches. Additional claims occurred in Zone X_UNSHADED (10 claims, average payout of $8,970, average depth of 2 inches), Zone UNKNOWN (7 claims, average payout of $3,513, average depth of 1 inch), and Zone X_SHADED (4 claims, average payout of $2,940, average depth of 1 inch).
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Lamar County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
111 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2016, with 34 claims and $635,314 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Lamar County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
24 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 | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 7, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 30, 2025 | $4,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 14, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2019 | $7,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 3, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 9, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 30, 2025. A slow moving upper low generated multiple rounds of rain, some heavy, the night of January 29 into the morning of January 30 across North Texas. Much of the heavy rain and associated flooding occurred in and near the DFW Metroplex.
Flash Flood · Apr 5, 2025. Multiple rounds of showers and storms occurred as a cold front moved through North Texas and stalled in East/Central Texas. These storms produced large hail, damaging winds, a tornado, lightning related damage, and flash flooding. The largest hail stone fell in Eastland County on the 3rd, with a diameter of 2.5 inches. A EF-0 tornado was found to have occurred in Van Zandt County on the 4th.
Flash Flood · Mar 14, 2024. Scattered storms formed ahead of a dryline and cold front on the afternoon and night of March 14th, producing hail near and east of I-35 and north of I-20. 3 inch hail was reported west of Roanoke. Wind damage was reported in Collin County. A tornado briefly touched down just north of Frisco Thursday evening. Flash flooding was also observed with heavier training storms in Lamar County.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2019. A hot and unstable airmass assisted in the formation of strong to severe thunderstorms as a cold front worked its way south of the Red River on the afternoon and evening of Wednesday June 19. The primary severe occurrence was large hail, followed by damaging winds and flash flooding as storms moved southeast into the overnight hours. A significant downburst caused significant damage in the town of Greenville in Hu…
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 Lamar 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.