1 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 Moore 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 slow-moving thunderstorms and heavy convective rainfall dominates the flood history of Moore County. Over the last 30 years, the National Centers for Environmental Information recorded 18 flash flood events alongside 1 general flood event.
Severe weather patterns can quickly produce extreme localized precipitation, as demonstrated during the May 18, 2023 event when continuous supercell thunderstorms fed by abundant atmospheric moisture led to widespread flooding conditions. Similar heavy rainfall from severe thunderstorms caused significant disruptions on April 11, 2012, resulting in stalled vehicles and closed highways due to flash flooding and hail accumulations. An event on June 15, 2019, also showed how strong upper-level systems can move across the region, bringing heavy rain and rotating storms.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists in Moore County should pay the most attention to properties vulnerable to intense, short-duration rainfall, particularly low-lying areas, locations near small streams or urban drainage pathways, and properties susceptible to rapid surface runoff during severe convective storms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3 NOAA storm reports from Moore County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1992, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Windy Deuce Fire | Feb 27, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 21, 2007 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2012 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2006 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 7, 2003 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2002 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2002 | $70,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 18, 2023. During the afternoon of the 18th, quite a bit of moisture and unstable air was present across the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle. During the heat of the day several supercell thunderstorms created large hail, up to 2.5 in diameter, heavy rain, and damaging wind gusts. One of the supercells even produced a short lived tornado. Continued storm activity into the overnight hours from the help of an upper level…
Flood · Jun 15, 2019. Significant moisture was in place on the 15th of June when a strong upper level trough moved over the Rocky Mountains into the Oklahoma Panhandle and west Texas to include the Texas Panhandle. Parameters were favorable for rotating supercells storms initially that produced very large hail in some areas as well as a funnel cloud across the southwest Panhandles. Some storms congealed into a line of thunderstorms wh…
Flash Flood · Apr 11, 2012. Severe thunderstorms developed and moved across the western and central Texas Panhandle during the mid afternoon through the evening and late night hours producing extreme amounts of hail as well as strong thunderstorm wind gusts. The very heavy rainfall from the thunderstorms also resulted in some flash flooding problems. The strong thunderstorm wind gusts resulted in downed tree limbs and the flash flooding and…
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2006. Slow-moving thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding across the southcentral Texas panhandle. The flash flooding resulted in stranded campers at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and caused damage to homes and vehicles and one fatality in Amarillo.
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 Moore 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.