291 flood insurance claims·$4.6M 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 Limestone 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 Limestone County, accounting for 86 of the 100 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 13 general floods and 1 tropical storm. Recent NOAA storm records illustrate this pattern, noting that slow-moving fronts and training thunderstorms produced widespread flash flooding on April 30, 2025, while saturated ground from above-normal rainfall caused rapid flooding during storm complexes on May 30, 2024, and multi-day heavy rain events on June 10, 2025.
Federal Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 183 claims with an average payout of $16,318 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced 70 claims with a higher average payout of $27,083 and an average water depth of 7 inches. Zones classified as unknown or unshaded accounted for 38 total claims with average payouts ranging from $7,812 to $10,554 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists working in both designated floodplains and outside traditional high-risk zones should pay close attention to these patterns, as properties in both Zone A and Zone X have experienced significant insurance claims and notable indoor water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Limestone County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
189 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 6 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 1991, with 35 claims and $368,213 paid, the year of Severe Thunderstorms.
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.
44 NOAA storm reports from Limestone County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 7, 2016 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
100 since 1996: 86 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2024 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 30, 2025. A slow moving front and an upper trough generated scattered thunderstorms on April 29, and widespread showers and thunderstorms on April 30, across much of North and Central Texas. Some of these storms became severe with large hail and damaging winds, but the most impactful weather was flash flooding due to the slow movement of the front and the resulting ���training��� of thunderstorms along and near…
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2025. An upper level low and remnant MCVs produced several rounds of heavy rain and training storms that produced flash flooding for a few day across the region, mainly across Central Texas.
Flash Flood · May 30, 2024. Another complex of thunderstorms moved southeast through North and Central Texas during the day on May 30, producing scattered wind damage and severe hail along with some flash flooding. A second round of storms initiated along the dryline Thursday evening, producing more severe weather and flash flooding overnight into the early morning hours of May 31. After above normal rainfall throughout the month, grounds we…
Flash Flood · Apr 28, 2024. A shortwave trough, dryline, and Pacific front all worked together to produce multiple rounds of thunderstorms Friday April 26 through Sunday April 28. All modes of severe weather took place across the region, along with multiple instances of flash flooding. 11 tornadoes occurred across McLennan, Hill, and Navarro counties on April 26th, and another 4 tornadoes occurred in Milam, Limestone and Freestone counties o…
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 Limestone 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.