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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rowlett · FEMA

Rowlett’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rowlett gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #388 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then hail (22%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1985.

River and rain flooding 62%Hail 22%Tornadoes 15%

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

more than 58%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#388 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
C+#388 of 642
in Texas · higher than 58% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 1985 · $202K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 22 declared for its 2 counties
By hazard

What Rowlett 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

62%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hail

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves 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 heat waves at 28% of Rowlett’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Rowlett’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rowlett, and Rowlett’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 22%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Rowlett sits
Rowlett
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #388 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rowlett’s residents live in 15 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Hail22%Tornadoes15%Everything else2%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rowlett has more expected damage per building than 60% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $23.2M a year in losses across Rowlett: $12.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 15 census tracts by where Rowlett’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 Rowlett flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1985

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rowlett, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 3 claims2007: 3 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims198520062007
19852026
Biggest named events
  • The Thunderstorms1 claim · $13K
10
paid claims since 1985
$202K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Rowlett isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Dallas County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
120storm safe rooms built
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rowlett

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding458 households applied for aid$302K aid approved$19K to the City of Rowlett for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms999 households applied for aid$488K aid approved$68K to the City of Rowlett for repairs
  3. 2015Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$2.3M to the City of Rowlett for repairs
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding10 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina Evacuation$30K to the City of Rowlett for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Rowlettits 2 counties only

Its 2 counties have had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Rowlett archive →
Next door

Rowlett and its neighbors

Rowlett is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dallas: hazard risk C+Garland: hazard risk C+DallasGarlandRowlett
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DallasC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding940
RowlettC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding10
GarlandC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding384

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 Rowlett 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 ↗
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.
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 Rowlett

Is Rowlett at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rowlett has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #388 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and hail (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Rowlett flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Rowlett since 1985, $202K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Thunderstorms (1).

Is Rowlett 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 Dallas County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rowlett?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rowlett’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Rowlett?

By FEMA money that reached Rowlett, Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $2.3M to the City of Rowlett for repairs. By flood claims, Thunderstorms: 1 paid, $13K.

Is Rowlett at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Rowlett’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rowlett.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rowlett’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.