94 flood insurance claims·$2.5M paid·3 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 Wise 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 weather events dominates the flood profile of Wise County. NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years show 74 flash flood events compared to 16 standard flood events. These incidents are frequently driven by slow-moving weather fronts and storm training, such as the widespread thunderstorms and heavy rainfall recorded in April 2025.
Federal insurance data underscores the financial impact across different designated zones. Properties in Zone A account for 64 NFIP claims with an average payout of $23,505 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X account for 26 claims with a higher average payout of $72,895 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. An additional 4 claims were filed under an unknown zone, averaging $20,847 with an average water depth of 3 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and Zone X, as these areas have documented claim histories and recorded water depths ranging from an average of 6 to 9 inches during flood events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Wise County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
64 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 2015, with 27 claims and $829,417 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
31 NOAA storm reports from Wise County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1981, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | May 4, 2015 |
| Wildfires | Aug 30, 2011 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
90 since 1996: 74 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 24, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 26, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 8, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 30, 2025. A slow moving front and an upper trough generated scattered thunderstorms on April 29, and widespread showers and thunderstorms on April 30, across much of North and Central Texas. Some of these storms became severe with large hail and damaging winds, but the most impactful weather was flash flooding due to the slow movement of the front and the resulting ���training��� of thunderstorms along and near…
Flash Flood · Oct 24, 2025. An upper-level low brought two main rounds of thunderstorms to North and Central Texas during the last week of October 2025. The first, and most severe, was a large storm complex on the evening of October 24, followed by isolated activity on the afternoon of October 25. Severe weather primarily consisted of thunderstorm wind damage and isolated instances of flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2024. On the heels of the May 27th evening hail event, another batch of thunderstorms developed near the Red River during the overnight hours as a shortwave trough moved through the Plains. These storms eventually grew upscale into an organized complex, diving southeast early on the morning of May 28. An intense bow echo caused widespread wind damage from the northern parts of DFW, through the eastern parts of DFW and i…
Flash Flood · Dec 26, 2024. A meandering surface front provided a focus for thunderstorm development as a shortwave trough worked its way east through North and Central Texas on December 26. A few storms produced hail and localized 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 Wise 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.