Freestone County, TX Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by cold wave. 332 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $13.36M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 332
- Most often drought
- Flood insurance policies
- 28
- 0.4% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 3 tropical storms or stronger since 1871
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Low
Score 56.5 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very High
Score 82.3 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Low
Score 30.6 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $6.88B · Agriculture value exposed: $87.73M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $19.82M
Risk by hazard
- Cold waveRelatively High$5.03M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- TornadoRelatively Moderate$1.97M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- HurricaneRelatively Low$485K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 25 years
- WildfireRelatively Low$123K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 557 years
- DroughtRelatively Moderate$356K/yr expected annual loss, about 35 events a year
- Ice stormRelatively Moderate$149K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- LightningRelatively Moderate$240K/yr expected annual loss, about 57 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Low$286K/yr expected annual loss, about 15 events a year
- Strong windRelatively Low$277K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.2 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$27.92K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.8 events a year
- HailRelatively Low$109K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.6 events a year
- EarthquakeVery Low$52.04K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,266 years
- LandslideVery Low$193/yr expected annual loss, about once every 6 years
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
- 28 of 8,012 (0.4%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 0
- Flood claims since 1978
- 17
- Claims paid since 1978
- $587K
Flood claims paid per year
- Flooding$39.98K · 3 claims
- Hurricane Ike$0 · 1 claim
Storm history
Since 1996: 332 events, 2 deaths, $6.56M in damage
- Drought68
- Hail68
- Flash Flood47 · 1 death
- Thunderstorm Wind42
- Heat40
- Excessive Heat12
- Tornado10
- Flood8
- Winter Storm8
- Heavy Rain6
Events per year
15 tornadoes on record (EF0 7, F0 6, F1 1, F2 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill02/15/2021
Freestone
1 death, $140K damage
What happened
Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 25 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures between 5 and -4 degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the teens. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th were between 10 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. The cold temperatures resulted in an extreme amount of damage to pipes, infrastructure, and power. The State listed 1 fatality in Freestone County due to the winter storm but no additional information could be obtained.
- Flash Flood12/30/2006
Kirvin, Freestone County
1 death, $12K damage
What happened
A car stalled in rising flood waters Friday night as heavy rains accompanied thunderstorms. The passengers all managed to get out of the car but were immediately swept away. The woman who was driving and her daughter made it to safety, but the other passenger, a small boy, was not found until several days later.
- Ice Storm01/27/2009
Freestone
2 injured, $20K damage
What happened
Several wrecks occurred along I-45 due to icy conditions. One person involved in a tractor-trailer accident was injured (indirect). Another wreck involved a truck hauling radioactive material, which slid on ice, hit a guardrail, and caught on fire. This caused I-45 to be shut down for some time.
- Flash Flood04/28/2009
Wortham, Freestone County
$1.5M damage
What happened
High water rescues were conducted on FM 246 near Wortham. Numerous County Roads were under water and damaged from prolonged rainfall for much of the day. Nearly every road between Fairfield and Mexia and Fairfield and Wortham was under water. Numerous bridges were washed out or heavily damaged around the county. The Tawakoni Bridge on Interstate 45 was damaged. The Wortham City Hall was damaged by water in the building. The lake near Wortham overflowed its dam and flooded nearby roads with up to three feet of water. Many motorists were stranded in rural parts of the county.
- Wildfire09/04/2011
Freestone
$1.1M damage
What happened
Five fires in Freestone County erupted on the 4th. The fires burned a total of 7500 acres. According to the Limestone Office of Emergency Management, 7 homes and 18 outbuildings were burned by these fires. The largest fire was located near Teague and the fire were contained the morning of the 7th.
- Lightning03/28/1999
Fairfield, Freestone County
1 injured
What happened
An eight year old girl was injured by lightning.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Heat07/26/2026
Freestone
- Excessive Heat07/22/2026
Freestone
- Heat07/20/2026
Freestone
- Flash Flood06/20/2026
Simsboro, Freestone County
- Flash Flood06/20/2026
Freestone, Freestone County
$20K damage
- Flash Flood06/20/2026
Dew, Freestone County
- Heat06/18/2026
Freestone
- Drought05/01/2026
Freestone
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Freestone County, with the wind when it passed
- Unnamed storm (1921)06/16/1921 · Landfall: TX · 980 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1915)08/05/1915 · Landfall: TX · 940 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1871)06/01/1871 · Landfall: TX · 999 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
Drinking water
20 community water systems serve about 26,454 people. Violations since 2021.
5 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 9 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- City of TeagueServes 5,688 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation+2 monitoring or reporting
- South Freestone County WscServes 3,753 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- City of FairfieldServes 3,005 · Groundwater · Local government4 health violations+19 monitoring or reporting
- Southern Oaks Water SupplyServes 2,304 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Butler WscServes 1,842 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Pleasant Grove WscServes 1,839 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- City of Fairfield Boyd UnitServes 1,690 · Groundwater · StateNo health violations
- City of Fairfield Westwood UtilityServes 1,563 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+12 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 Fairfield 3w, 3.2 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 95°F in Aug and winter lows bottom out near 36°F in Jan. About 43.5 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°F | 36°F | 3.65 in | 0.1 in |
| Feb | 61°F | 40°F | 3.46 in | 0.1 in |
| Mar | 69°F | 47°F | 3.81 in | - |
| Apr | 76°F | 54°F | 3.29 in | - |
| May | 82°F | 64°F | 4.70 in | - |
| Jun | 89°F | 70°F | 4.50 in | - |
| Jul | 94°F | 73°F | 1.77 in | - |
| Aug | 95°F | 72°F | 2.88 in | - |
| Sep | 88°F | 66°F | 3.18 in | - |
| Oct | 79°F | 56°F | 4.23 in | - |
| Nov | 68°F | 45°F | 3.91 in | - |
| Dec | 60°F | 38°F | 4.11 in | - |
| Year | 66°F average | 43.5 in | 0.2 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 2 toxic release facilities in Freestone County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Arcosa Lws LLC Streetman TX87.2 lbs released, Streetman
- Sanderson Farms Oakwood Feed Mill0 lbs released, Oakwood
Total: 87.2 lbs in 2024, 20.7 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk1 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Freestone County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Freestone County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $13.36M a year. The highest-rated hazards are cold wave (relatively high), tornado (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Freestone County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 332 storm events affecting Freestone County, most often drought (68), hail (68), flash flood (47).
- How many tornadoes have hit Freestone County?
- 15 tornadoes have been recorded in Freestone County since 1950.
- How many homes in Freestone County have flood insurance?
- 28 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Freestone County, covering about 0.4% of homes. The program has paid $587K on 17 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Freestone County?
- At Fairfield 3w, average highs reach 95°F in Aug and lows fall to 36°F in Jan, with 43.5 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.