47 flood insurance claims·$776,416 paid·4 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 Zavala 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 and tropical moisture systems dominates the flood risk in Zavala County. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the last 30 years, the county experienced 49 flash flood events, 5 general flood events, and 1 tropical storm event.
Specific recorded events illustrate this pattern. In August 2016, convection forming over the northern Mexican mountains moved into South Central Texas as a mesoscale convective system, producing heavy rain that led to flash flooding, followed by additional heavy rain as a cold front moved through the region. Later, in September 2017, the remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Pilar moved across Mexico and introduced moisture that resulted in a series of thunderstorms and subsequent flash flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas experience the highest impact. Zone A accounts for the highest number of claims at 27, with an average payout of $37,744 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 12 claims averaging $4,732 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X recorded 5 claims averaging $22,395 with an average water depth of 0 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims averaging $27,271 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone V recorded 1 claim with a $0 payout and an average water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties located in Zone A should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Zavala County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
30 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 2 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 2007, with 11 claims and $30,204 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Zavala County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1983, 4 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 | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 16, 2007 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
55 since 1996: 49 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 23, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 9, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 13, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2017. The remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Pilar moved across Mexico adding mid-level moisture to an already moist boundary layer. Precipitable water values were around 2.5 inches when a series of upper level shortwave troughs initiated thunderstorms. Some of these storms produced heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2016. Convection formed over the northern Mexican mountains during the afternoon and evening of August 20 beneath an upper level trough over the southern plains. This convection eventually formed into a mesoscale convective system as a low level jet developed overnight. The MCS produced heavy rain as it moved into a tropical airmass over South Central Texas. The MCS dissipated, and then convection redeveloped as a cold…
Flash Flood · Aug 20, 2016. Convection formed over the northern Mexican mountains during the afternoon and evening of August 20 beneath an upper level trough over the southern plains. This convection eventually formed into a mesoscale convective system as a low level jet developed overnight. The MCS produced heavy rain as it moved into a tropical airmass over South Central Texas. The MCS dissipated, and then convection redeveloped as a cold…
Flash Flood · May 23, 2015. An upper level shortwave trough moved around the longwave low over the Four Corners region. This upper distubance interacted with a surface boundary moving northward as a warm front from South Texas into a very moist airmass. This combination led to thunderstorms that produced heavy rain and isolated severe weather. A historic flash flood occurred on the Blanco River late Saturday night into Sunday. Hundreds of…
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 Zavala 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.