Natural hazards · Sour Lake

Sour Lake, TX natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sour Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 114 claims here since 1979. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Sour Lake?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sour Lake to be higher than in 78% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding55%Hurricanes15%Tornadoes13%Cold waves6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Sour Lake faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

15% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Sour Lake flood?

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

114paid claims since 1979

$5.2Mpaid to owners

8homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Harvey: 31 claims, $2.9M
Tropical Storm Allison: 22 claims, $495K
Tropical Storm Paul: 4 claims, $353K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hardin County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

29flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Sour Lake

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Sour LakeDeclared for Hardin County only

2024

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

40 households applied for aid $44K aid approved

2021

Severe Winter Storms

31 households applied for aid $16K aid approved

2017

Hurricane Harvey

1,470 households applied for aid $11.3M aid approved $149K to the City of Sour Lake for repairs

2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

10 households applied for aid $51K aid approved

2008

Hurricane Ike

1,189 households applied for aid $503K aid approved $484K to the City of Sour Lake for repairs

2005

Hurricane Rita

2,137 households applied for aid $4.0M aid approved $397K to the City of Sour Lake for repairs

2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

Hardin County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

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. Sour Lake is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.