6 flood insurance claims·$140,237 paid·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 Runnels 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 risk profile in Runnels County, accounting for 27 recorded events and 1 death over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general flood events and 1 tropical depression. Recent activity demonstrates this hazard, such as a slow-moving upper-level storm system and moist tropical airmass that produced localized rainfall amounts exceeding 10 inches in southwest Runnels County in September 2024. Additional flash flooding occurred across the region in November 2024 due to an upper-level system combining with a cold front, and in May 2024 from severe thunderstorms driven by strong instability and wind shear.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate claims in both high-risk and moderate-to-low risk areas, with notable impacts outside designated floodplains. Specifically, Zone A accounts for 4 claims with an average payout of $7,604 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Meanwhile, Zone X records 2 claims with a substantially higher average payout of $58,712 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in both designated high-risk Zone A areas and Zone X locations, as lower-risk zones have demonstrated potential for significant financial loss and deeper average water accumulation during severe weather events.
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 2014, with 3 claims and $15,008 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Runnels County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| 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.
35 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 7, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2024 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Dec 10, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Oct 17, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 17, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Sep 29, 2012 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 30, 2024. Severe thunderstorms developed across portions of the Big Country, the Concho Valley and the Heartland due to strong instability and strong wind shear. The severe thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds.
Flash Flood · Nov 7, 2024. The combination of an upper level storm system and a cold front resulted in scattered severe thunderstorms across the Concho Valley and the Heartland during the evening hours. The storms produced large hail, strong gusty winds and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 3, 2024. A significant heavy rainfall event occurred early in the month across mainly the Concho Valley, northern Heartland and southern Big Country due to a slow moving upper level storm system and a very moist tropical airmass, which was near record levels for early September. Numerous showers and a few thunderstorms produced localized heavy rainfall amounts greater than 10 inches across portions of northeast Tom Green,…
Flash Flood · Dec 10, 2022. Thunderstorms produce heavy rainfall resulting in isolated flash flooding across northern Runnels County.
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 Runnels 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.