States › Texas › Nueces County

Nueces 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 48355 · 353,079 residents (2021) · 839 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 134Tornado · 107Flood · 301Wind · 302Winter · 5

Nueces 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 990 events for Nueces County, Texas, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 118.0 events per 100 square miles, above the Texas figure of 63.3, and 28.0 per 10,000 residents against 56.0 statewide.

39 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 9 deaths and 61 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $1.4B and crop damage at $4.7M.

FEMA has designated the county in 33 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 8,673 claims since 1978, of which 5,512 were paid, totalling $187M (about $34K per paid claim). FEMA counts 19,656 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($186M a year across 18 hazards).

50 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.

39events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

990events since 19509 deaths, 61 injuries recorded

33disaster declarationslast 9 Jul 2024

8,673NFIP flood claims$187M paid

Compared with Texas and the United States

Measure	Nueces County	Texas	US
Recorded events since 1950	990	165,476	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	118.0	63.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	28.0	56.0	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	39	4,723	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	9	2,429	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$1.4B	$111B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	24.6	13.4	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$34K	$55K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	20.9	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

Hail: 3Tornado: 8Wind: 6

Hail: 2Tornado: 28Wind: 5

Hail: 6Tornado: 30Wind: 13

Hail: 5Tornado: 7Wind: 30

Hail: 20Tornado: 12Flood: 22Wind: 34Other: 6

Hail: 56Tornado: 10Flood: 55Wind: 47Winter: 3Tropical: 3Heat: 3Drought: 29Wildfire: 4Lightning: 7Fog: 1Other: 5

Hail: 39Tornado: 9Flood: 131Wind: 101Winter: 2Tropical: 9Heat: 2Cold: 2Drought: 39Wildfire: 5Lightning: 4Other: 11

Hail: 3Tornado: 3Flood: 93Wind: 66Other: 11

171950s351960s491970s421980s941990s2232000s3542010s1762020s

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

Trend: 608 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 225 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

Wind302

Flood301

Hail134

Tornado107

Drought68

Other33

Tropical12

Lightning11

Wildfire9

Winter5

Heat5

Cold2

Fog1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	302	—	0.7%	detail
■ Flood	301	3	1.9%	detail
■ Hail	134	—	0.2%	detail
■ Tornado	107	2	1.1%	detail
■ Drought	68	—	0.4%
■ Other	33	—	1.8%
■ Tropical	12	—	2.1%
■ Lightning	11	1	1.1%
■ Wildfire	9	—	0.6%
■ Winter	5	—	0.1%
■ Heat	5	2	0.1%
■ Cold	2	1	0.1%
■ 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
9 Oct 1997	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	2	—	County
24 Oct 2002	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$75M	—	1	20	County
24 Jun 1970	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	1	15	County
15 Mar 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
20 Sep 2010	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	—	County
1 Aug 2011	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
8 Sep 2015	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
25 Aug 2017	Hurricane (Typhoon)	Tropical	—	$1.0B	—	—	—	Forecast zone
1 Jan 2018	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
25 Aug 2017	Storm Surge/Tide	Tropical	—	$300M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
24 Oct 2002	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$10M	—	—	6	County
2 Jun 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	90 mph	$250K	—	—	6	County
9 Aug 1980	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	3	County
10 Jul 2004	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	3	County
3 Feb 2011	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$750K	—	—	1	Forecast zone
16 Oct 1960	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	1	County
14 Mar 2000	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	—	1	County
17 Jun 1997	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$80K	—	—	1	County
9 May 1968	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$25K	—	—	1	County
2 Jun 1972	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$3K	—	—	1	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
29 May 2015	DR-4223	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Jun 2010	EM-3313	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Alex	Public assistance
13 Sep 2008	DR-1791	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ike	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
29 Jun 2007	DR-1709	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual 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
26 Sep 2002	DR-1434	Major disaster	Coastal Storm	Tropical Storm Fay	Individual assistance
4 Jul 2002	DR-1425	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
22 Aug 1999	DR-1287	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Bret	Individual assistance, Public assistance
21 Oct 1998	DR-1257	Major disaster	Flood	Tx-Flooding 10/18/98	Individual assistance, Public assistance
26 Aug 1998	DR-1239	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Charley	—
30 Oct 1984	DR-727	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance
11 Aug 1980	DR-627	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Allen	Individual assistance, Public assistance
25 Sep 1979	DR-603	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Sep 1971	DR-313	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains, High Winds & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Aug 1970	DR-292	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Celia	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 Nueces County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19788,673

Paid claims5,512

Total paid$187M

Average paid claim$34K

Repetitive-loss properties30139 severe

Residential policies in force19,65617.4% of 113,070 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	19	7	$65,017	$9,288
2025	2	0	$0	—
2024	49	27	$818,527	$30,316
2023	11	5	$380,209	$76,042
2022	11	4	$41,395	$10,349
2021	110	68	$1,649,667	$24,260
2020	61	30	$1,398,985	$46,633
2019	32	18	$423,795	$23,544
2018	74	47	$1,321,226	$28,111
2017	3,736	2,252	$145,593,309	$64,651
2016	234	177	$5,876,239	$33,199
2015	234	154	$1,724,467	$11,198
2014	16	10	$124,067	$12,407
2013	14	9	$186,816	$20,757
2012	23	6	$120,837	$20,139
2011	10	3	$52,705	$17,568
2010	209	146	$3,335,796	$22,848
2009	17	7	$49,381	$7,054
2008	65	17	$409,736	$24,102
2007	121	64	$748,118	$11,689
2006	56	41	$1,205,838	$29,411
2005	17	6	$66,119	$11,020
2004	190	162	$2,199,406	$13,577
2003	32	20	$122,610	$6,131
2002	391	279	$4,568,400	$16,374

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 Highscore 96.6 of 100

Expected annual loss$186MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Hurricane	Very High	$83,417,725
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$43,617,663
Cold wave	Very High	$25,487,620
Tornado	Relatively High	$11,652,966
Heat wave	Relatively High	$11,449,259
Drought	Relatively High	$3,518,392
Strong wind	Relatively High	$2,135,521
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$1,530,310
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,354,957
Coastal flooding	Relatively Moderate	$1,001,636
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$349,658
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$185,325
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$182,224
Earthquake	Very Low	$173,982
Landslide	Very Low	$743

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 miles50

Tracks within 50 miles25

Hurricane strength within 50 miles12

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Harold	2023	45 mi	58 mph
Nicholas	2021	76 mi	75 mph
Hanna	2020	66 mi	92 mph
Beta	2020	82 mi	52 mph
Harvey	2017	41 mi	132 mph
Bill	2015	59 mi	58 mph
Don	2011	64 mi	40 mph
Hermine	2010	36 mi	52 mph
Dolly	2008	87 mi	86 mph
Erin	2007	89 mi	40 mph
Claudette	2003	67 mi	92 mph
Fay	2002	91 mi	58 mph
Bret	1999	56 mi	138 mph
Charley	1998	13 mi	69 mph
Frances	1998	46 mi	52 mph
Arlene	1993	45 mi	40 mph
Allen	1980	80 mi	98 mph
Amelia	1978	41 mi	52 mph
Delia	1973	96 mi	52 mph
Fern	1971	14 mi	69 mph
Celia	1970	26 mi	138 mph
Candy	1968	26 mi	69 mph
Beulah	1967	61 mi	98 mph
Abby	1964	84 mi	40 mph
Carla	1961	78 mi	144 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

78373 3,486
78418 1,003
78412 810
78380 599
78411 451
78413 353
78402 269
78410 210
78415 201
78401 190
78404 138
78414 110
78408 107
78417 80
78409 77
78416 66
78335 49
78330 46
78405 44
78343 43
78403 43
78469 37
78383 32
78351 31
78339 25
78407 18
78473 15
78406 11
78467 7
78463 6
78474 5

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 Nueces County, TX?

NCEI records 134 hail events in Nueces County since 1950, in 39 different years; that is about 1.7 recorded events a year. 28 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Nueces County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 107 tornadoes in Nueces County since 1950, 12 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 2.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Nueces County?

9 Jul 2024: Hurricane Beryl, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 33 declarations since 1953.

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

8,673 NFIP claims since 1978, 5,512 of them paid, for $187M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Nueces County compare with the rest of Texas?

118.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 63.3 statewide, and 24.6 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.