1 flood insurance claims·$9,064 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 Swisher 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 profile of Swisher County, TX, supported by 15 recorded flash flood events compared to 5 general flood events over the last 30 years. Intense localized rainfall rates can develop rapidly during warm-weather months, as demonstrated on July 27, 2020, when storm training near Tulia caused flash flooding that stalled a vehicle along Interstate 27. Similar atmospheric setups driven by moisture and weak boundaries produced slow-moving storms and heavy rainfall on June 3, 2023, and April 23, 2025.
Federal data shows minimal historical National Flood Insurance Program claim activity, with only a single claim recorded in Zone X that resulted in an average payout of $9,064 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Because the primary risk stems from intense convective rainfall rather than mapped riverine or coastal hazards, property owners in low-lying areas prone to rapid surface water accumulation and those lacking elevated foundations should pay the most attention to severe weather and flash flood warnings.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9 NOAA storm reports from Swisher County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 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 |
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Apr 21, 2007 |
| 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.
20 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 7, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jul 20, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 23, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms developed again on the afternoon of the 23rd in the absence of meaningful large scale forcing for ascent. Moisture in the lowest levels of the atmosphere continued to increase through the day resulting in a very unstable atmosphere by mid-afternoon. Veering of relatively weak winds through the atmospheric column resulted in organization of thunderstorms which were able to produce very large…
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. During the afternoon and evening hours of the fifth, an intense supercell thunderstorm moved over the South Plains region of West Texas, producing several tornadoes over portions of Cochran, Hockley, and Lubbock Counties. This thunderstorm also produced widespread damage from very strong straight-line winds and large hail across western and southwestern portions of the City of Lubbock (Lubbock County) before it ex…
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2023. Upslope flow and weak surface convergence along a dryline near the Texas/New Mexico state line allowed for scattered thunderstorms to develop late in the afternoon into the evening on the third. Weak mid level winds and a moist atmosphere created a favorable environment for efficient rainfall producing storms. While the storms did produce some large hail and damaging wind gusts, the primary threat from the storms…
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2020. On the afternoon of the 27th, scattered thunderstorms developed along a weak cold frontal boundary across the extreme southern Texas Panhandle. These storms brought intense rainfall but were relatively quick moving. However, training of storms occurred in and around Tulia (Swisher County) which resulted in flash flooding. One vehicle stalled out along Interstate 27 near Tulia.
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 Swisher 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.