393 flood insurance claims·$6.7M paid·3 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 McLennan 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in McLennan County. NOAA storm records document 105 flash flood events and 10 general flood events over the last 30 years, resulting in four deaths. Recent severe episodes include multiple rounds of heavy rain, training storms, and saturated atmospheres that triggered flash flooding across Central Texas in June and July of 2025.
Federal insurance data shows that flood losses extend well beyond high-risk areas. Properties in FEMA Zone A account for 213 historical claims with an average payout of $23,651 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Meanwhile, various designations of Zone X account for 171 total claims with average payouts ranging from $13,940 to $22,021 and average recorded water depths between 4 and 13 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in both high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas, where historical claims demonstrate that significant standing water depths and property damage still occur.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of McLennan County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
296 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 11 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 2007, with 48 claims and $868,988 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding and Hurricane Dean.
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.
40 NOAA storm reports from McLennan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Explosion | Apr 17, 2013 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Hurricane Dean | Aug 17, 2007 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
115 since 1996: 105 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred the weekend of July 12, influenced by remnant outflow boundaries, a stalled front, and a slow-moving upper low. A mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) further enhanced precipitation totals and rain rates, resulting in flash flooding primarily across Central Texas.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 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 · Jun 11, 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 · Jul 7, 2025. From the July 4th weekend into the early part of the following week, a weak upper trough lingered over North and Central Texas, triggering several days of scattered showers and thunderstorms. A saturated atmosphere combined with slow storm motions resulted in numerous flash flooding events throughout the region, particularly in Central Texas.
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 McLennan 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.