1 flood insurance claims·$29,964 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 Wheeler 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 risk in Wheeler County, supported by NOAA data recording 15 flash flood events alongside 4 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Heavy seasonal rains and slow-moving storms frequently trigger localized flooding and severe weather across the region. For example, an abundant moisture setup and upper-level disturbances brought heavy rain and flooding to the area on June 2, 2024. Similar slow-moving storms and residual outflow boundaries produced heavy, long-lasting rainfall and localized flooding during a multi-day severe weather event on June 2, 2023. Additional flood events driven by high moisture levels and heavy rainfall occurred on July 23, 2020, and August 13, 2023.
FEMA records indicate that flood insurance claims have been filed in Zone A, where the average recorded water depth was 1 inches with an average claim payout of $29,964. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated in Zone A, as these areas face documented flood risks requiring careful evaluation of base flood elevations and insurance needs.
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 1 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Wheeler County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1998, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Magic City Fire | Apr 4, 2009 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 2, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 13, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 23, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2013 | $3,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 2, 2024. The beginning of June started out with some abundant moisture, throughout the atmosphere and surface, which led to an unstable environment. A few different upper-level disturbances and surface boundaries (i.e., dryline) help to bring about some thunderstorms that became severe across the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles the first through the third. These severe storms brought instances of large hail, damagi…
Flood · Aug 13, 2023. The combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles saw quite a bit of moisture return to the area going into the 12th. On both the 12th and the 13th, the combined Panhandles saw widespread rain and thunderstorms across the area. On the 12th some of the storms produced hail up to the size of nickels. Strong winds upwards of 73 mph were measured and several reports of wind damage were made. On the 13th the second round of s…
Flash Flood · Jun 2, 2023. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms the 2nd through the 4th brought high winds, flooding, and some landspout tornadoes to the combined Panhandles. June 2nd brought high winds and flooding to both the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle. The moisture continued into the 3rd and 4th but with slower moving storms and residual outflow boundaries from the 2nd storms produced heavy long lasting rainfall, as well as landspout torna…
Flood · Jul 23, 2020. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon across the Texas Panhandle within a moist, moderately unstable but poorly sheared atmosphere. Some of the slow-moving storms produced heavy rains, leading to localized 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 Wheeler 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.