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 Ochiltree 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 risk in Ochiltree County, where the NOAA Storm Events Database records 17 flash flood events compared to 8 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Storms bringing heavy rain and severe weather have directly impacted the region, such as a localized heavy rain producer that caused flash flooding issues on May 25, 2023. Additionally, a broader moisture pattern brought widespread storms to the area on September 10, 2023.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties most vulnerable to intense, localized downpours and rapid runoff conditions associated with severe convective storm systems moving into the Panhandles.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9 NOAA storm reports from Ochiltree County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Extreme Fire Hazards | Aug 1, 1999 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Sep 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 26, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 25, 2023. During the evening of May 24th, widespread showers and thunderstorms developed over eastern New Mexico into the western combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. A few of these storms became severe producing wind gusts upwards of 64 mph. A few isolated storms developed out ahead of the line of storms over the central to eastern portions of the combined Panhandles. These storms were either severe and produced hail up…
Flood · Sep 10, 2023. A good bit of moisture worked its way into the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles on the 9th through the 11th. The upper level pattern favored upper level help for storms to travel into the combined Panhandles from the west and northwest during the late afternoon into overnight hours. The first night on the 9th a couple of strong supercell thunderstorms dropped hail up to 2.5 in diameter in the western Oklahom…
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2023. Early in the evening on the 8th a small cluster of storms moved southeast through Deaf Smith and Randall County from eastern New Mexico. Later into the evening a much larger complex of storms moved into the Oklahoma Panhandle from SE Colorado and SW Kansas, before entering the Texas Panhandle. It was this complex that brought widespread severe wind gusts and some heavy rain into the combined Panhandles. Wind gusts…
Flood · Jul 7, 2023. During the late afternoon of the 7th a line of thunderstorms developed in eastern New Mexico and proceeded to move east into and across the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The strongest and most severe of these storms mainly impacted the TX Panhandle as it progressed. Several severe wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph winds were measured by ground stations across the area. Some of the strongest parts of the storms…
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 Ochiltree 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.