Understanding the Texas Flooding Map: What’s Normal, What’s Not

Texas is no stranger to water-related disasters. From flash floods sweeping through the Hill Country to hurricanes slamming the coast, flooding is a persistent and often unpredictable challenge across the state.

With 2025 bringing another wave of severe flood events, more Texans are turning to flood maps to understand their local risk. Here’s how to make sense of what you’re seeing, and why it matters.

Why flooding is a recurring challenge in Texas

Flooding is baked into Texas geography. The state’s vast landscape includes low-lying coastal plains, urbanized river basins, and rapidly changing elevation in regions like the Hill Country. These variations, combined with erratic rainfall and dense development, create the ideal conditions for multiple flood types.

Texas is also home to major rivers like the Brazos, Trinity, and Guadalupe—all of which drain storm runoff from wide swaths of land. As cities expand and cover more ground with pavement, natural absorption drops and runoff spikes. This not only increases flood risk but shifts flood zones in ways that older maps may not fully capture.

Types of Texas flooding maps

Flood maps aren’t just for experts. They provide critical real-time and historical data that residents, developers, and emergency planners all rely on. For homeowners, flood maps help identify whether a property lies in a high-risk zone, which can directly influence insurance requirements, home purchase decisions, and evacuation planning. For developers and city officials, these maps inform zoning laws, drainage system design, and long-term infrastructure investments. FEMA provides a public source of flood hazard information produced to support the National Flood Insurance Program. The example below is their map of flood risk for Houston, TX.

Source: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

Most importantly, flood maps are foundational to preparing for a flood. Understanding the type and severity of flood risk in a specific location allows individuals to take proactive measures such as purchasing flood insurance, installing barriers or sump pumps, or creating emergency plans. It also helps evaluate flood risk when buying a home in Texas.

During severe weather events, real-time flood mapping can guide evacuation routes and highlight areas to avoid. In short, these tools turn complex hydrological data into actionable insights, helping Texans make informed decisions before, during, and after a flood. Below is an example of a real-time flood map that displays current flood gages from texasflood.org.

Source: https://map.texasflood.org/#/map/

Types of flooding shown on maps

Flash flooding: Sudden, intense flooding often caused by short bursts of rainfall over impermeable surfaces. Common in urban and hill country areas.
Riverine flooding: Occurs when rivers or creeks overflow their banks due to extended rainfall. Usually slower-developing but more widespread.
Coastal and storm surge flooding: Driven by hurricanes or tropical systems pushing seawater inland. A major concern for Gulf Coast communities.

Key agencies and tools used

NOAA Flood Outlook Maps: Provide national and regional forecasts of flood risk based on expected rainfall and streamflow.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center: The primary resource for identifying official flood zones used in insurance underwriting.
Texas Water Development Board Flood Map Viewer: Offers a localized, interactive view of floodplains and risk areas based on Texas-specific data.

2025 flooding in Texas: What the maps show

This year, flooding has once again dominated headlines across Texas. Several regions saw above-average precipitation and flash flood events that overwhelmed drainage systems.

North Austin and Williamson County experienced weeks of repeated downpours, pushing creeks over their limits and closing roads.
Houston-area bayous and coastal drainage systems were taxed by early tropical moisture, revealing vulnerabilities in storm surge barriers and urban runoff containment.
Hill Country rivers and reservoirs, especially along the Llano and Medina, surged past capacity following back-to-back storms.

Record rainfall and saturation levels

Texas received widespread rainfall over 10–20 inches, and soils were already saturated, leading to extreme runoff as the ground could no longer absorb more water. Multiple locations reported totals exceeding 12–15 inches in a few hours, with peak totals reaching 20.33 inches in parts of the Hill Country during the July 4–5 flooding event.

USGS real-time water data for Texas showed streamflow conditions in many basins well above the 90th percentile for this time of year, meaning current river and creek discharge measurements exceeded 90 % of historical values, marking them as significantly above normal

Historical comparison: How 2025 stacks up

When compared to previous major flood years, 2025 is shaping up as a high-impact year—though not unprecedented.

2015: The Memorial Day floods brought catastrophic flash flooding across Central Texas.
2017: Hurricane Harvey dropped over 40 inches of rain in parts of the Houston metro.
2021: Widespread flash flooding in May affected both North Texas and the Hill Country.

While 2025 may not match Harvey in terms of total rainfall, the geographic spread of impact and frequency of events has been significant. FEMA has already issued multiple disaster declarations, with insurance claims topping an estimated $1.2 billion statewide. In several counties, this year’s events have redrawn local understandings of flood risk.

What’s normal and what’s not?

Flooding has always been part of Texas’s natural hydrologic cycle, particularly during the spring and fall when the state is most vulnerable to heavy rainfall and tropical systems. These seasonal patterns are well documented, and occasional localized flooding has long been considered normal. However, recent data and on-the-ground impacts suggest that what was once considered normal may be evolving.

One of the clearest shifts is the intensity of rainfall events. Texans are increasingly experiencing high-volume storms that drop inches of rain in a matter of hours. These short-duration, high-intensity events produce significantly more runoff than slower, steady rains. This overwhelms creeks, bayous, and stormwater infrastructure. The result is more frequent flash flooding, especially in urban and semi-urban areas.

Compounding this trend is the rapid pace of urban development across much of Texas. As more land is covered with impervious surfaces like pavement, rooftops, and parking lots, the ground’s ability to absorb rainwater diminishes. Natural drainage patterns are disrupted, and more water is diverted into already strained man-made systems. This increases the severity of floods and can shift risk to areas previously considered safe.

In response to these changing conditions, agencies like FEMA and the Texas Water Development Board are updating floodplain maps to incorporate modern rainfall models and hydrologic data. Areas once classified as low-risk are now being reassessed, and many are being re-designated as part of FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Areas. These changes carry serious implications for insurance, property development, and emergency planning. It is more important than ever for Texans to understand how their flood risk is changing over time.

Texas flooding map resources for residents

For real-time updates and flood preparedness, these tools are the best places to start:

TexasFlood.org Interactive Map: Monitors statewide river levels, rainfall, and road closures.
NOAA River Forecast Center – Lower Mississippi Region: Tracks flood stages and forecasts across Texas’ major rivers.
National Weather Service Flood Alerts: Provides localized alerts and outlooks during active flood events.

Why understanding the Texas flood maps matters

Flood maps are more than just risk assessments; they help reveal long-term patterns in weather, land use, and emergency response. For homeowners and renters alike, knowing your flood risk informs decisions about property investment, insurance coverage, and safety planning.

Bookmark the resources listed above and make a habit of checking them during storm season. Understanding what’s normal and what’s not on the Texas flooding map could be the difference between reacting and being prepared.

Learn more about Texas weather and flood preparedness

Want to dive deeper into Texas weather, preparedness tips, and energy insights? Explore more articles in BKV Energy’s blog and stay informed year-round.

Written by Graham Lumley

Graham Lumley, Digital Marketing Manager at BKV Energy, leads digital and traditional marketing strategies, focusing on educating Texans about the state's deregulated energy market. With over 8 years of marketing experience, he creates content to help consumers understand and save on their energy bills, bringing a fresh and dynamic approach to the industry.