Natural hazards · Shallowater

Shallowater, TX natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Shallowater comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Shallowater?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Shallowater to be higher than in 58% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and hail.

Tornadoes23%Hail20%Inland flooding18%Drought14%Cold waves11%Strong wind11%Everything else4%

By hazard

What Shallowater faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Tornadoes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Hail

20% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

18% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Drought

14% of expected damage

Recorded about 70 times a year in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

11% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Shallowater flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shallowater, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2015

$10Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20152026

Biggest named events

Early summer storms: 1 claim, $10K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Shallowater isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Lubbock County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

7storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Shallowater

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Shallowater itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Shallowater.

Brought FEMA money into ShallowaterDeclared for Lubbock County only

2021

Severe Winter Storms

19 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

2010

Hurricane Alex

5 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

Lubbock County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Shallowater covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Shallowater’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Shallowater. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Shallowater total about $1.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.