97 flood insurance claims·$1.4M paid·4 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 Palo Pinto 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 and heavy rain systems dominates the flood risk profile in Palo Pinto County, TX, accounting for 49 recorded events and 1 death over the last 30 years alongside 12 general flood events resulting in 1 additional death. Severe weather and multi-day flood events are documented in NOAA storm records, such as an event driven by an upper level trough in March 2020 and a large-scale low pressure system in March 2016 that produced flash flooding across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas, with claims filed across multiple zones. Properties located in FEMA Zone A recorded 51 claims with an average water depth of 7 inches and an average payout of $18,229. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded 35 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $18,917, and unshaded Zone X properties recorded 10 claims with an average water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $13,688.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in high-risk Zone A, while also noting that properties in moderate-to-low risk Zone X and unshaded Zone X experience documented flood claims and shallow water depths during heavy rain events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
16% of Palo Pinto County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
61 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 5 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 2016, with 22 claims and $748,923 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
16 NOAA storm reports from Palo Pinto County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1981, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| 101 Ranch Fire | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Pk East Fire | Apr 16, 2011 |
| Pk West Fire | Apr 13, 2011 |
| Hohertz Fire | Apr 9, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 49 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 18, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 31, 2016 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2016 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2016 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Apr 17, 2016 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2016 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Mar 18, 2020. An upper level trough near the region contributed to several rounds of severe weather over a 2 day period. The first round was an MCS that resulted in flooding across parts of North Texas. The second round resulted in a few tornadoes to the west and northwest of the DFW Metroplex. The final round was afternoon convection that produced some small hail around the DFW Metroplex.
Flood · May 31, 2016. Several disturbances in advance of a deepening upper level trough over the southwest states led to multiple rounds of showers and storms across North and Central TX. With wet soils already in place, flash flooding was the main weather concern during this time. However, with unstable air still in place, some storms were able to become severe with large hail and damaging winds.
Flash Flood · May 31, 2016. Several disturbances in advance of a deepening upper level trough over the southwest states led to multiple rounds of showers and storms across North and Central TX. With wet soils already in place, flash flooding was the main weather concern during this time. However, with unstable air still in place, some storms were able to become severe with large hail and damaging winds.
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 Palo Pinto 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.