2,137 flood insurance claims·$24.4M paid·13 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 Matagorda 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 heavy rain and severe weather dominates the flood history of Matagorda County, supplemented by frequent tropical storm and coastal flooding events over the last 30 years. NOAA records document significant impacts from recent systems, including Tropical Storm Alberto in June 2024, which brought coastal flooding to the upper Texas coast, and Hurricane Nicholas, which made landfall 10 miles west of Sargent in September 2021 with heavy rain bands producing 6 to 10 inches of rainfall and strong winds.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 980 claims with an average payout of $14,565 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone V records 424 claims averaging $16,315 with an average water depth of 9 inches. Unshaded Zone X records 430 claims averaging $14,553 with an average water depth of 2 inches, while standard Zone X records 236 claims averaging $25,029 with an average water depth of 8 inches. Shaded Zone X accounts for 50 claims averaging $14,733 with an average water depth of 3 inches.
Coastal property owners, as well as residents located in Zone A and Zone V flood zones, should pay the closest attention to flood risks given the frequency of tropical systems and coastal flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
25% of Matagorda County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,884 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 4 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 2017, with 304 claims and $8.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Harvey.
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.
21 NOAA storm reports from Matagorda County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 30 flash floods, 3 river or area floods and 12 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Jun 19, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jun 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2021 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 13, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 12, 2025. Storms occurring overnight, producing damaging winds, flooding and brief tornadoes.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2025. Storms occurring overnight, producing damaging winds, flooding and brief tornadoes.
Tropical Storm · Jun 19, 2024. A Potential Tropical Cyclone became Tropical Storm Alberto as it moved generally westward across the southern Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in the Tampico area. Coastal flooding occurred along the upper Texas coast.
Coastal Flood · Jun 19, 2024. A Potential Tropical Cyclone became Tropical Storm Alberto as it moved generally westward across the southern Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in the Tampico area. Coastal flooding occurred along the upper Texas coast.
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 Matagorda 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.