84 flood insurance claims·$497,996 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 Young 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 severe thunderstorm complexes dominates the flood profile of Young County, based on 33 recorded flash flood events compared to 8 general flood events over the last 30 years. Historical events illustrate this pattern, such as the localized flash flooding caused by thunderstorm complexes propagating across the region on April 24, 2025, and rounds of heavy rain over wet soils from a deepening upper-level trough on May 29, 2016.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims distributed across multiple zones, with the highest concentrations occurring in Zone A (38 claims, averaging an $5,316 payout and an average 2 inches of recorded water depth) and Zone UNKNOWN (36 claims, averaging an $5,738 payout and an average 4 inches of recorded water depth). Properties in Zone X also experienced losses, recording 7 claims with a higher average payout of $32,451 and an average 1 inch of recorded water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in mapped high-risk areas like Zone A, as well as locations with unmapped or unknown flood designations, where repetitive historical claims indicate significant vulnerability to flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Young County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
41 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 3 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 1990, with 25 claims and $90,214 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Young County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 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 |
| Pk East Fire | Apr 16, 2011 |
| Pk West Fire | Apr 13, 2011 |
| Hohertz Fire | Apr 9, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Apr 6, 2011 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
41 since 1996: 33 flash floods and 8 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 29, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 19, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Aug 19, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 17, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 24, 2025. Thunderstorm complexes which developed across the Hill Country and Northwest Texas during the afternoons of April 23 and 24 propagated southeast across North and Central Texas each night into the following mornings. Several instances of large hail and damaging winds occurred with these storms, along with localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Feb 19, 2017. A large area of showers and thunderstorms associated with an upper level low pressure system rolled across North and Central Texas late Sunday into early Monday. Some severe storms occurred, producing wind damage and a few hail reports across mainly the southern half of the forecast area.
Flash Flood · May 29, 2016. Several disturbances in advance of a deepening upper level trough over the southwest states led to multiple rounds of showers and storms across North and Central TX. With wet soils already in place, flash flooding was the main weather concern during this time. However, with unstable air still in place, some storms were able to become severe with large hail and damaging winds.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2015. The end of May brought widespread flooding to north and central Texas. By the end of the month, the region had essentially erased a four year drought in less than four weeks. Several area lakes were in surcharge capacity and releasing water downstream. The city of Dallas was impacted most of all, with one major highway closed for nearly a week due to flooding. Occasional bouts with severe weather also occurred dur…
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 Young 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.