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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cleburne · FEMA

For tornadoes, Cleburne’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cleburne gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #306 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then tornadoes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 92 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 65%Tornadoes 22%Wildfire 6%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#306 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
B−#306 of 642
in Texas · lower than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
65% of expected building damage
Flood claims
92
paid since 1979 · $734K
Flooded more than once
7
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
10% off
Community discount (class 8)

What stands out about Cleburne’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

10% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Cleburne residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8).Made safer with FEMA grants20 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 198931 flood claims were paid for 1989 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Cleburne faces

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

River and rain flooding

65%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Hurricanes Cold waves top 4% Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 39% of Cleburne’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (21.6%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

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

What’s behind Cleburne’s grade

River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cleburne, and Cleburne’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 22%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Cleburne sits
Cleburne
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #306 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Cleburne’s residents live in 14 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding65%Tornadoes22%Wildfire6%Everything else7%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cleburne has less expected damage per building than 52% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.5M a year in losses across Cleburne: $6.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 14 census tracts by where Cleburne’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Cleburne flood? Sometimes: 92 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cleburne, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 23 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 4 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 31 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 13 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 7 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 9 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919891991
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Early summer storms6 claims · $133K
92
paid claims since 1979
$734K
paid to owners
7
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
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
Community discount10% off flood insurance

Cleburne is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Johnson County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
20storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cleburne

Disasters that paid out in Cleburne itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cleburne), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms302 households applied for aid$257K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding60 households applied for aid$110K aid approved$195K to the City of Cleburne for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2005Hurricane Rita$8K to the City of Cleburne for repairs
  4. 2005Hurricane Katrina Evacuation$40K to the City of Cleburne for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CleburneJohnson County only

Johnson County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Johnson County, 2000–2006.

Were you here?

Old photos of Cleburne after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Cleburne archive →
Next door

Cleburne and its neighbors

Cleburne is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Keene: hazard risk A−Joshua: hazard risk A−KeeneJoshuaCleburne
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
JoshuaA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding3
KeeneA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding2
CleburneB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding92

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Cleburne faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
  • Cleburne residents get 10% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Cleburne

Is Cleburne at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cleburne has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #306 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and tornadoes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Cleburne flood?

Flood insurance has paid 92 claims in Cleburne since 1979, $734K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Early summer storms (6).

Is Cleburne in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Johnson County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cleburne?

Cleburne is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Cleburne?

By FEMA money that reached Cleburne, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 60 households applied for aid, $110K approved, and $195K to the City of Cleburne for repairs. By flood claims, Early summer storms: 6 paid, $133K.

Is Cleburne at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Cleburne’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cleburne.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cleburne’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.