26 flood insurance claims·$451,898 paid·11 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 Madison 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 storms dominates the local flood profile, backed by 28 flash flood events, 4 general flood events, and 3 tropical storm events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include severe storms on April 28, 2024, which produced widespread flash flooding alongside tornadoes, wind damage, and hail. A subsequent series of wind and heavy rain events from late April into May 1, 2024, brought additional heavy rainfall and significant cumulative damage. Further compounding regional risks, a derecho on May 16, 2024, delivered extensive wind damage, tornadoes, and widespread flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties in high-risk Zone A account for 13 claims with an average water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $14,998. Meanwhile, properties designated as Zone X account for 10 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $29,119. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 2 claims averaging 1 inch of water depth and a $21,597 payout, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 1 claim with an average water depth of 4 inches and a $10,765 payout.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in designated high-risk Zone A as well as properties located in Zone X, where moderate-to-low risk areas have still experienced significant flood claims and water depths averaging 4 inches.
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 3 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 2018, with 3 claims and $125,190 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1987, 11 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 | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 28 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2024 | $3.5M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 13, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2017 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 25, 2017 | $80.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 28, 2024. Evening through overnight storms produced a lot of flash flooding, a couple tornadoes, some winds damage and some hail.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2024. On the evening of May 16, a derecho moved into SE TX. This resulted in extensive wind damage across much of the Greater Houston area, including much of Downtown Houston. Maximum wind gusts were estimated to have reached over 100 mph. Additionally, the system produced two tornadoes and widespread flash flooding. Power outages resulting from the derecho lasted multiple days for hundreds of thousands of people.
Flood · May 1, 2024. A series of wind and heavy rain events hit the area in late April and early May leading to significant damages. These entries include cumulative dollar damage estimates primarily from the flood events as reported by the counties.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2021. Heavy rainfall from thunderstorms resulted in widespread street flooding in Madison County.
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 Madison 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.