8 flood insurance claims·$129,758 paid·8 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 Leon 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 driven by severe thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Leon County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 31 flash flood events, alongside 6 general flood events and 1 tropical storm. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall events in May 2024, when upper-level disturbances and shortwave troughs generated multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms that produced widespread flash flooding across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims are concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 7 claims with an average payout of $24,089 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. By comparison, Zone X accounts for 1 claim with an average payout of $9,312 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists working with properties located in designated Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to flood risk, given the historical frequency of flash flooding and the concentration of higher-payout claims in these zones.
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 2021, with 2 claims and $25,524 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Leon County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 31 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2024 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2019 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Apr 7, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 26, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 12, 2024. A pair of shortwave troughs generated two rounds of thunderstorms; one on May 11 and the other on May 12. Most storms occurred on Sunday as the second and stronger disturbance moved overhead. Some storms became severe producing hail up to golf ball sized, but flash flooding became the main impact with the later round of storms on May 12th, especially in Central Texas.
Flash Flood · May 2, 2024. Thunderstorms developed along a dryline the evening of May 1 as an upper level disturbance swept across the forecast area. Some storms became severe as they moved across mainly Central Texas Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Additional storms developed Thursday night into Friday as a cold front moved through the area. Heavy rain causing flooding in Central Texas were the main impacts during this time period.
Flash Flood · May 1, 2024. Thunderstorms developed along a dryline the evening of May 1 as an upper level disturbance swept across the forecast area. Some storms became severe as they moved across mainly Central Texas Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Additional storms developed Thursday night into Friday as a cold front moved through the area. Heavy rain causing flooding in Central Texas were the main impacts during this time period.
Flash Flood · Apr 26, 2023. An upper level trough, surface low pressure center, stationary front, and a Pacific cold front all aided in the development of thunderstorms on Wednesday April 26 across much of the region. Several storms became severe with mainly large hail. Up to softball sized hail occurred in McLennan County. A few storms also produced wind damage, and two very brief tornadoes were caught on camera. Unfortunately two children…
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 Leon 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.