8 flood insurance claims·$254,885 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 Rains 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 upper-level disturbances and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk in Rains County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 17 flash flood events compared to 4 general flood events.
Historical events illustrate this recurring threat. A potent storm system in December 2015 brought severe weather followed by waves of heavy rainfall that resulted in significant flooding across the region. Several years later, in May 2020, a slow-moving upper-level disturbance aided by a dry line and an outflow boundary produced multiple rounds of showers and storms, resulting in localized flash flooding alongside damaging wind gusts and brief tornadoes.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood claims have impacted properties in designated high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas alike. Zone A recorded 6 claims with an average payout of $47,708 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_SHADED and an unknown zone each recorded a single claim, with average payouts of $14,445 and $1,900, respectively, and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches for both. Homeowners and real estate agents in designated high-risk zones, as well as property owners in unmapped or shaded zones experiencing intense rainfall, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 2008, with 3 claims and $235,347 paid.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Rains County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2020 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 13, 2016 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Mar 9, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Dec 27, 2015 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 27, 2015 | $5,000 |
| Flood | May 3, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 3, 2009 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2007 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2020. A slow-moving upper level disturbance, with the help of a dry line and a southward-pushing outflow boundary, produced multiple rounds of showers and storms Friday and Saturday. Damaging wind gusts and localized flash flooding were the main results, though two brief tornadoes also occurred.
Flood · Jun 13, 2016. An upper level low pressure center trekked east across the area, bringing with it 2 days of shower and thunderstorm activity to North and Central Texas. The heaviest rains occurred across the southeast portions of the region where several locations experienced significant flooding.
Flood · Mar 9, 2016. This was a multi-day severe weather and flood event. It started with a large-scale upper level low pressure system which deepened over the Four-Corners region. Moisture and instability increased in advance of this system. Storms developed along a dry line Monday afternoon, many of which produced severe weather or flash flooding or both. Another area of storms formed ahead of the upper trough over northwest Texas M…
Flood · Dec 27, 2015. A potent storm system brought deadly tornadoes and severe weather to North Texas on the 26th followed by waves of heavy rainfall that resulted in significant flooding across parts of North and Central Texas. Twelve tornadoes were confirmed on the afternoon and evening of the 26th, killing 13 and injuring over 300. The strongest tornado was an EF-4 that struck the Garland and Rowlett areas of Dallas and Rockwall C…
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 Rains 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.