5 flood insurance claims·$119,062 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 Mason 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Mason County, Texas. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 25 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 11 standard flood events and 1 tropical depression.
Severe impacts are demonstrated by historical events such as the devastating flash flooding on July 4th, when slow-moving or stationary thunderstorms driven by tropical moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry produced general rainfall totals of 10 to 16 inches, with localized amounts near 25 inches. This historic event caused widespread damage to roads and houses in the northern and northeast portions of the Northwest Hill Country.
Federal insurance records reflect historical claims across multiple zones, including Zone UNKNOWN with 2 claims averaging a $45,000 payout and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches; Zone X_UNSHADED with 2 claims averaging an $11,651 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches; and Zone A with 1 claim averaging a $5,760 payout and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in unshaded areas, unmapped zones, and standard flood-prone areas should pay the closest attention to these persistent flash flood 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 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 2 claims and $90,000 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 Mason County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 2, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 22, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Oct 17, 2018 | $8.5M |
| Flash Flood | Oct 16, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 15, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. The combination of deep tropical moisture and a weak upper level area of low pressure produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding across portions of the Northwest Hill Country and Heartland.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2025. Devastating and historic flash flooding occurred in northern and northeast portions of the Northwest Hill Country on July 4th with damage to many roads and houses. The combination of abundant tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry and a weak upper level storm system, led to very slow moving or stationary thunderstorms producing very heavy and efficient rainfall. The heaviest rainfal…
Flood · Apr 22, 2023. A cold front moving south into a warm, moist and very unstable airmass, resulted in scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening across eastern portions of the Concho Valley, as well as portions of the Heartland and the Northwest Hill Country. A few of the storms were supercell thunderstorms, due to the strong vertical wind shear across the area, which produced very large hail and isolated wind damage.
Flood · Jul 4, 2021. The combination of a weak stationary front and abundant tropical moisture resulted in showers and thunderstorms that produced some localized flooding mainly in San Angelo and Abilene.
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 Mason 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.