552 flood insurance claims·$27.7M paid·10 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 Newton 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 weather events dominates the flood history of Newton County, TX, supported by NOAA records showing 25 flash flood events, 6 general flood events, 2 tropical storms, and 2 hurricanes over the last 30 years. Recent flash flood events occurred in April 2024 and May 2024, driven by upper-level weather systems and short waves producing several days of unsettled weather, severe squall lines, and heavy rainfall across the region.
NFIP claims data illustrates vulnerability across different flood zones in the county. Zone A recorded the highest number of claims at 302, with an average payout of $60,029 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties located in Zone X experienced 112 claims with an average payout of $86,796 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN accounted for 136 claims averaging $22,928 with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $69,725 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and Zone X, which account for the vast majority of historical flood insurance claims and significant average water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Newton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
304 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 7 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 260 claims and $15.7M 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Newton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 10 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 |
| Hurricane Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 7, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2021 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 26, 2020 | $105.0M |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2020 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 9, 2020 | $2.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2025. A warm front slowly lifted north across the region causing isolated flooding.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2024. An upper trough parked over the region for near a week. Short waves kept traversing the base of the trough for the duration of the event causing several days of unsettled weather. Some days produced severe squall lines with numerous reports of damage.
Flash Flood · Apr 10, 2024. A strong upper low forced a round of severe thunderstorms across the region. Flooding, high wind gusts, hail, and tornadoes occurred in Southeast Texas as a result of this system.
Flash Flood · Apr 23, 2021. A warm front pushed north across Southeast Texas during the 23rd. This produced localized flooding. Additional storms occurred on the 24th as a cold front moved through.
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 Newton 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.