Denton County, TX Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively High natural hazard risk, led by tornado. 1,558 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $355M
- Relatively High nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 1,558
- Most often hail
- Flood insurance policies
- 1,740
- 0.7% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 1 tropical storm or stronger since 1961
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively High
Score 96.9 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very Low
Score 10.6 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Low
Score 37.2 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $177B · Agriculture value exposed: $159M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $269M
Risk by hazard
- TornadoVery High$145M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- HailVery High$42.99M/yr expected annual loss, about 9.7 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively High$20.23M/yr expected annual loss, about 18 events a year
- Ice stormVery High$3.31M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.2 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively High$14.01M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.1 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Moderate$3.04M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 484 years
- Strong windRelatively High$3.36M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.4 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively High$414K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.8 events a year
- LightningRelatively Moderate$1.02M/yr expected annual loss, about 55 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$1.46M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 962 years
- HurricaneVery Low$236K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 87 years
- LandslideVery Low$1,615/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 years
- DroughtRelatively Low$68.76K/yr expected annual loss, about 30 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 1,740 of 256,297 (0.7%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 1,994
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 552 (28%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 563
- Claims paid since 1978
- $10.54M
Flood claims paid per year
- Thunderstorms$555K · 18 claims
- Early summer storms$511K · 43 claims
- Flooding$439K · 40 claims
- Early summer severe storms$208K · 7 claims
- 2026-06-Arthur-TS$78.32K · 6 claims
- Tropical Storm Bill$23.31K · 2 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 1,558 events, 27 deaths, $995M in damage
- Hail698
- Thunderstorm Wind377 · 4 deaths
- Flash Flood128 · 4 deaths
- Drought83
- Lightning51 · 1 death
- Heat48 · 9 deaths
- Tornado30
- Flood28 · 3 deaths
- Winter Storm20 · 1 death
- Excessive Heat17 · 3 deaths
Events per year
58 tornadoes on record (EF0 10, EF1 11, EF2 1, F0 12, F1 11, F2 10, F3 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Hail4.25" hail04/03/2014
Denton, Denton County
$500M damage
What happened
Softball sized hail was reported by a trained spotter one-eighth of a mile west of the Texas Woman's Campus in Denton. Additionally, this storm covered much of the city of Denton, and a considerable part of the County as well. The Insurance Council of Texas estimated approximately 35,000 vehicles, and 22,000 homes were damaged in some fashion with this storm. The damage estimate is aproximately 500 million dollars.
- Hail2.5" hail03/25/2021
Giffhill, Denton County
$60M damage
What happened
Hail between 1.5-2.5 inches was reported near Highway 377 and 1171 in western Flower Mound.
- Hail4" hail04/11/2016
Denton, Denton County
$50M damage
What happened
A public report indicated grapefruit sized hail near the intersection of Audra Lane and East McKinney St.
- Hail1.75" hail03/24/2016
Lewisville, Denton County
$50M damage
What happened
Hail up to the size of golf balls fell near Business 121 and Southwest Parkway in Lewisville.
- Hail2" hail03/25/2021
Roanoke Vly Arpt, Denton County
$50M damage
What happened
Storms developed along a dryline during the afternoon hours on March 24th. These storms advanced east into North and Central Texas, producing hail and a couple of EF-Unknown tornadoes. Large hail up to the size of 3 was reported in Tarrant and Denton counties. Hail-producing storms continued overnight as a cold front made its way through the area.
- Hail1.75" hail03/24/2016
Lewisville, Denton County
$50M damage
What happened
A social media report indicated ping pong to golf-ball sized hail in Lewisville, TX.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Excessive Heat07/21/2026
Denton
14 injured
- Heat07/20/2026
Denton
27 injured
- Flash Flood06/19/2026
Carrollton, Denton County
$200K damage
- Heat06/18/2026
Denton
5 injured
- Flash Flood06/07/2026
Sanger, Denton County
- Hail2" hail06/03/2026
Carney, Denton County
$9,000 damage
- Hail0.88" hail06/03/2026
Carney, Denton County
- Hail0.75" hail06/02/2026
Hebron, Denton County
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Denton County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Carla (1961)09/03/1961 · Landfall: TX · 927 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
Drinking water
82 community water systems serve about 817,420 people. Violations since 2021.
14 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 20 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- City of DentonServes 150,037 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- City of LewisvilleServes 140,880 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Mustang SudServes 127,911 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Town of Flower MoundServes 80,000 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- City of the ColonyServes 45,367 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Town of Little ElmServes 43,348 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- City of CorinthServes 23,213 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Lake Cities Municipal Utility AuthorityServes 17,826 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Denton 2 SE, 1 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 96°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 34°F in Jan. About 38.4 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 34°F | 2.20 in |
| Feb | 60°F | 37°F | 2.83 in |
| Mar | 68°F | 45°F | 3.36 in |
| Apr | 76°F | 53°F | 3.67 in |
| May | 83°F | 63°F | 4.86 in |
| Jun | 91°F | 71°F | 3.58 in |
| Jul | 96°F | 75°F | 2.29 in |
| Aug | 96°F | 74°F | 2.44 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 67°F | 2.96 in |
| Oct | 78°F | 55°F | 4.64 in |
| Nov | 66°F | 44°F | 2.94 in |
| Dec | 57°F | 36°F | 2.67 in |
| Year | 65°F average | 38.4 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 29 toxic release facilities in Denton County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- United Copper Industries LLC8,848 lbs released, Denton
- Mary Kay Inc.5,069 lbs released, Lewisville
- Amazon.com Services LLC4,939 lbs released, Carrollton
- Nucor Insulated Panel Group3,165 lbs released, Lewisville
- Oldcastle Infrastructure - Northlake3,161 lbs released, Roanoke
- Victor Equipment Co1,781 lbs released, Denton
- Acme Brick Co-Denton Plant678 lbs released, Denton
- Mayday Manufacturing Co500 lbs released, Denton
- Safety-Kleen Systems Denton Recycle Center424 lbs released, Denton
- Peterbilt Motors Co343 lbs released, Denton
Total: 28,910 lbs in 2024, 13,643 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk7 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Denton County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Denton County relatively high for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $355M a year. The highest-rated hazards are tornado (very high), hail (very high), heat wave (relatively high).
- What storms are most common in Denton County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 1,558 storm events affecting Denton County, most often hail (698), thunderstorm wind (377), flash flood (128).
- How many tornadoes have hit Denton County?
- 58 tornadoes have been recorded in Denton County since 1950, including 1 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
- How many homes in Denton County have flood insurance?
- 1,740 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Denton County, covering about 0.7% of homes. The program has paid $10.54M on 563 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Denton County?
- At Denton 2 SE, average highs reach 96°F in Jul and lows fall to 34°F in Jan, with 38.4 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.