744 flood insurance claims·$11.2M paid·10 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 Victoria 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 heavy rainfall and summer thunderstorms dominates the flood character of Victoria County, supported by 66 recorded flash flood events over the last 30 years compared to 7 general floods, 2 tropical storms, and 1 hurricane. Recent events illustrate this pattern, such as a February 2024 storm system that triggered a Flash Flood Warning over northern Goliad County and Victoria County due to 3 to 4 inches of rainfall, and active weather periods in June 2025 driven by deep tropical moisture and upper-level disturbances.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrates risk across multiple zones. Zone X leads with 326 claims averaging $17,469 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches, while Zone A records 319 claims with an average payout of $24,605 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED accounts for 55 claims averaging $6,055 with an average water depth of 1 inch, unknown zones record 33 claims averaging $9,590 with an average depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED shows 10 claims averaging $9,454 with an average depth of 5 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X properties should pay close attention to these historical claim patterns and water depths when evaluating property risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Victoria County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
385 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 5 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 2017, with 113 claims and $2.0M paid, the year of Hurricane Harvey.
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.
23 NOAA storm reports from Victoria County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Beryl | Jul 5, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Tropical Storms Marco And Laura | Aug 23, 2020 |
| Hurricane Hanna | Jul 25, 2020 |
| Hurricane Harvey | Aug 23, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
76 since 1996: 66 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 7, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Feb 3, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 19, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2025. During the second/third week of June, South Texas experienced an active and dynamic weather pattern that led to several impactful weather events, including heavy rainfall, flash flooding, thunderstorm wind damage, a weak tornado, and a waterspout. The unsettled conditions were driven by a combination of deep tropical moisture, persistent upper-level disturbances, and an unstable atmosphere. PWATs frequently exceed…
Flash Flood · Sep 7, 2025. The atmosphere on September 7th remained well saturated, with PWAT values into the 1.9 to 2.2 inch range. This deep moisture combined with the passage of a frontal boundary that extended along the coast and continued to move offshore during the early morning hours produced periods of heavy rainfall across South Texas. This was particularly true along the Rio Grande. As the day progressed, moisture convergence, day…
Flood · Jan 24, 2024. Moderate river flooding of the Guadalupe River in Victoria County as well as heavy rainfall resulted in a few closures of frontage roads according to the Texas Department of Transportation around midday on January 24th.
Flood · Feb 3, 2024. A Pacific front pushed across South Texas the night of February 2nd and continued through the early morning hours of February 3rd. This episode resulted in 7 severe thunderstorm warnings, majority over the Brush Country, as well as a Flash Flood Warning over northern Goliad County and Victoria County due to 3-4 of rainfall. River flood warnings were also ongoing and resulted in a few frontage road closures due to…
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 Victoria 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.