States › Texas › Kleberg County

Kleberg County, Texas

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 48273 · 30,635 residents (2021) · 881 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 55Tornado · 30Flood · 66Wind · 68Winter · 4

Kleberg County within Texas. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 320 events for Kleberg County, Texas, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 36.3 events per 100 square miles, below the Texas figure of 63.3, and 104.5 per 10,000 residents against 56.0 statewide.

4 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 1 death and 1 injury to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $19M and crop damage at $620K.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Beryl (major disaster, 9 Jul 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 279 claims since 1978, of which 229 were paid, totalling $2.2M (about $9K per paid claim). FEMA counts 450 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($35M a year across 18 hazards).

52 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 12 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

4events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

320events since 19501 death, 1 injury recorded

24disaster declarationslast 9 Jul 2024

279NFIP flood claims$2.2M paid

Compared with Texas and the United States

Measure	Kleberg County	Texas	US
Recorded events since 1950	320	165,476	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	36.3	63.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	104.5	56.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	4	4,723	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	1	2,429	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$19M	$111B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	9.1	13.4	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$9K	$55K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	5.8	24.7	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Tornado: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 7Wind: 2

Hail: 1Tornado: 4Wind: 3

Hail: 8Tornado: 3Wind: 9

Hail: 8Tornado: 5Flood: 12Wind: 13Other: 2

Hail: 16Tornado: 1Flood: 27Wind: 15Winter: 2Tropical: 3Heat: 1Drought: 26Wildfire: 8Fog: 1Other: 2

Hail: 16Tornado: 9Flood: 18Wind: 18Winter: 2Tropical: 6Heat: 1Cold: 1Drought: 35Wildfire: 4Other: 7

Hail: 5Flood: 9Wind: 8

11950s101960s81970s201980s401990s1022000s1172010s222020s

Recorded events in Kleberg County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtWildfireFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 200 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 86 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind68

Flood66

Drought61

Hail55

Tornado30

Wildfire12

Other11

Tropical9

Winter4

Heat2

Cold1

Fog1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	68	1	0.2%	detail
■ Flood	66	—	0.4%	detail
■ Drought	61	—	0.3%
■ Hail	55	—	0.1%	detail
■ Tornado	30	—	0.3%	detail
■ Wildfire	12	—	0.8%
■ Other	11	—	0.6%
■ Tropical	9	—	1.6%
■ Winter	4	—	0.0%
■ Heat	2	—	0.0%
■ Cold	1	—	0.0%
■ Fog	1	—	0.4%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
10 May 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	1	—	County
16 Jun 2010	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
6 Apr 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	$5.0M	$50K	—	—	County
6 Apr 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	85 mph	$5.0M	$50K	—	—	County
31 May 2016	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$2.5M	—	—	—	County
31 May 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	86 mph	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
31 May 2016	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
8 Apr 1993	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$500K	$5K	—	—	County
14 Apr 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
23 Jul 2008	Heavy Rain	Other	—	—	$500K	—	—	County
15 May 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
12 May 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
6 Jun 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	90 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
1 Jun 2006	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$300K	—	—	—	County
31 May 2016	Hail	Hail	2.75 in	$250K	—	—	—	County
7 Sep 2010	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$100K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
3 Feb 2011	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$100K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Sep 2014	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	—	—	County
31 May 2016	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
9 Jul 2024	DR-4798	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Beryl	Public assistance
19 Feb 2021	DR-4586	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storms	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Feb 2021	EM-3554	Emergency	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
24 Aug 2020	EM-3540	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storms Marco And Laura	Public assistance
26 Jul 2020	EM-3530	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Hanna	Public assistance
25 Mar 2020	DR-4485	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3458	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
25 Aug 2017	DR-4332	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Harvey	Individual assistance, Public assistance
11 Jun 2016	DR-4272	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Jun 2010	EM-3313	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Alex	Public assistance
10 Sep 2008	EM-3294	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Ike	Public assistance
29 Aug 2008	EM-3290	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Gustav	Public assistance
24 Jul 2008	DR-1780	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Dolly	Public assistance
14 Mar 2008	EM-3284	Emergency	Fire	Wildfires	Public assistance
18 Aug 2007	EM-3277	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Dean	Public assistance
11 Jan 2006	DR-1624	Major disaster	Fire	Extreme Wildfire Threat	Public assistance
24 Sep 2005	DR-1606	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Rita	Public assistance
21 Sep 2005	EM-3261	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Rita	Public assistance
2 Sep 2005	EM-3216	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
5 Nov 2002	DR-1439	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding	Individual assistance
22 Aug 1999	DR-1287	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Bret	Individual assistance, Public assistance
26 Aug 1998	DR-1239	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Charley	—
11 Aug 1980	DR-627	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Allen	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Sep 1967	DR-232	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Beulah	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Kleberg County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978279

Paid claims229

Total paid$2.2M

Average paid claim$9K

Repetitive-loss properties183 severe

Residential policies in force4504.6% of 9,818 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2024	3	1	$1,885	$1,885
2021	20	18	$687,643	$38,202
2020	2	0	$0	—
2018	1	0	$0	—
2016	24	20	$448,068	$22,403
2015	1	1	$1,481	$1,481
2014	7	6	$78,902	$13,150
2013	1	0	$0	—
2010	3	2	$1,881	$940
2009	3	2	$36,656	$18,328
2008	1	0	$0	—
2007	12	10	$49,324	$4,932
2006	5	4	$21,146	$5,287
2003	2	0	$0	—
2002	21	19	$172,512	$9,080
2001	6	3	$4,473	$1,491
1999	12	7	$13,878	$1,983
1998	1	1	$310	$310
1997	5	5	$74,720	$14,944
1995	1	1	$1,573	$1,573
1993	2	1	$545	$545
1992	23	20	$97,766	$4,888
1991	5	4	$7,742	$1,936
1989	1	1	$294	$294
1986	1	0	$0	—

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 84.4 of 100

Expected annual loss$35MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Cold wave	Relatively High	$15,976,613
Hurricane	Relatively High	$11,064,919
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$5,217,390
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$1,065,353
Tornado	Relatively Low	$820,564
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$518,612
Drought	Relatively Low	$229,808
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$145,989
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$102,315
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$89,503
Lightning	Relatively Low	$64,435
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$19,237
Earthquake	Very Low	$17,643
Coastal flooding	Very Low	$5,357
Landslide	Very Low	$23

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles52

Tracks within 50 miles23

Hurricane strength within 50 miles12

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Harold	2023	28 mi	58 mph
Nicholas	2021	72 mi	75 mph
Hanna	2020	49 mi	92 mph
Harvey	2017	58 mi	132 mph
Bill	2015	79 mi	58 mph
Don	2011	56 mi	40 mph
Hermine	2010	32 mi	63 mph
Dolly	2008	64 mi	86 mph
Erin	2007	91 mi	40 mph
Claudette	2003	80 mi	81 mph
Bret	1999	34 mi	138 mph
Charley	1998	36 mi	69 mph
Frances	1998	67 mi	52 mph
Arlene	1993	28 mi	40 mph
Allen	1980	58 mi	115 mph
Amelia	1978	19 mi	52 mph
Fern	1971	6 mi	69 mph
Celia	1970	42 mi	138 mph
Candy	1968	42 mi	69 mph
Beulah	1967	41 mi	98 mph
Carla	1961	95 mi	144 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1960	19 mi	58 mph
Ella	1958	29 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	41 mi	115 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1942	88 mi	115 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

78363 259
78379 16

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Kleberg County, TX?

NCEI records 55 hail events in Kleberg County since 1950, in 25 different years; that is about 0.7 recorded events a year. 12 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Kleberg County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 30 tornadoes in Kleberg County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Kleberg County?

9 Jul 2024: Hurricane Beryl, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Kleberg County, and how much was paid?

279 NFIP claims since 1978, 229 of them paid, for $2.2M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Kleberg County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Kleberg County compare with the rest of Texas?

36.3 recorded events per 100 square miles against 63.3 statewide, and 9.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 13.4. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.