4,418 flood insurance claims·$114.6M paid·9 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 Travis 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 thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Travis County, with 243 flash flood events resulting in 24 deaths compared to 21 general flood events and one death over the last 30 years. NOAA records highlight severe flash flooding driven by heavy rainfall and high precipitable water values, such as an event on July 5, 2025, where parts of Travis and Burnet Counties received 12 to 16 inches of rain in approximately six hours, resulting in 10 deaths in Travis County. Additional flash flooding events occurred on May 26, 2025, and May 28, 2025, associated with upper-level shortwave troughs and frontal boundaries producing heavy rain.
Homeowners and real estate agents should pay the closest attention to properties located in FEMA Zone A, which accounts for the highest impact with 2,720 claims averaging $40,249 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Properties in Zone X also warrant careful review, having recorded 950 claims averaging $30,947 with an average water depth of 10 inches, as well as Zone X_SHADED properties which averaged 10 inches of water depth across 75 claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Travis County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,944 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 9 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 2013, with 715 claims and $40.6M 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.
48 NOAA storm reports from Travis County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
37 federal disaster declarations since 1991, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jul 2, 2025 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 30, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 10, 2018 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 22, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
264 since 1996: 243 flash floods and 21 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2025 | $5.0M · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | May 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 20, 2023 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2025. An upper-level shortwave trough moved across a stationary front that was stretched across Central Texas. Some of these storms moved into South-Central Texas producing damaging wind gusts and large hail. There were also a few reports of heavy rain leading to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2025. An upper-level shortwave trough moved across a cold front over South-Central Texas and generated thunderstorms. The warm, moist airmass had steep mid-level lapse rates, and some of the storms produced large hail. There were also a few reports of damaging wind gusts and heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2025. Thunderstorms developed along a cold front as it moved through South-Central Texas. Some of these storms produced large hail and heavy rain that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2025. Precipitable water values over South-Central Texas remained near record levels, and a mid-level anticyclonic circulation continued over Central Texas providing lift to generate thunderstorms. These storms were efficient rain making storms leading to another night of excessive rainfall. Parts of Burnet and Travis Counties received 12-16 inches of rain in approximately six hours that led to deadly flash flooding. Ei…
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 Travis 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.