28 flood insurance claims·$1.3M paid·6 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 San Saba 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms and tropical moisture systems dominates the flood risk in San Saba County, which recorded 22 flash flood events and 10 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Severe weather events have caused significant damage throughout the area, including historic flash flooding on July 4, 2025, driven by the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry that produced heavy rainfall and damaged numerous roads and houses. Localized flash flooding was also associated with severe thunderstorms on April 26, 2024, and June 4, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed in both high-risk and moderate-to-low-risk areas. Zone A properties account for 23 claims with an average payout of $44,657 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X properties recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $92,987 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated high-risk zones and moderate-to-low-risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to these patterns, as properties outside traditional flood zones have experienced significant flood depths and payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of San Saba County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
23 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 2025, with 10 claims and $1.1M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from San Saba County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Oct 16, 2018 | — |
| Flood | May 25, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 4, 2025. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall affected areas from Shackelford County, south into Brown, McCulloch, Menard, and San Saba counties. Also, localized flash flooding was reported.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2025. Devastating and historic flash flooding occurred in northern and northeast portions of the Northwest Hill Country on July 4th with damage to many roads and houses. The combination of abundant tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry and a weak upper level storm system, led to very slow moving or stationary thunderstorms producing very heavy and efficient rainfall. The heaviest rainfal…
Flash Flood · Apr 26, 2024. The combination of a strong upper level storm system moving into the Southern Plains, a dryline in the area and moderate to strong instability, resulted in a few rounds of severe thunderstorms mainly north of a Robert Lee to San Saba line. The storms produced large hail, very strong winds and localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2021. The combination of abundant tropical moisture, moderate instability and a weak upper level disturbance produced thunderstorms with heavy rainfall across the Concho Valley and Heartland. A few of the thunderstorms produced flash flooding.
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 San Saba 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.