Montgomery County, TX Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively High natural hazard risk, led by lightning. 537 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $222M
- Relatively High nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 537
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 21,232
- 10.7% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 8
- 17 tropical storms or stronger since 1875
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively High
Score 95.7 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 23.6 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Low
Score 33.0 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $108B · Agriculture value exposed: $33.17M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $206M
Risk by hazard
- LightningVery High$8.57M/yr expected annual loss, about 70 events a year
- TornadoVery High$61.7M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- Cold waveRelatively High$22.75M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$7.91M/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- Ice stormVery High$1.93M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- HurricaneRelatively High$17.94M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years
- Strong windRelatively High$2.79M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.6 events a year
- HailRelatively Moderate$1.87M/yr expected annual loss, about 2.6 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively High$336K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.5 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Low$426K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 919 years
- DroughtRelatively Moderate$547K/yr expected annual loss, about 17 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$713K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,828 years
- LandslideVery Low$1,889/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 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
- 21,232 of 198,527 (10.7%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 7,208
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 2,559 (36%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 13,035
- Claims paid since 1978
- $634M
Flood claims paid per year
- Hurricane Harvey$248M · 2,401 claims
- Flooding$85.17M · 2,994 claims
- Tropical Storm Imelda$75.01M · 1,033 claims
- Early summer severe storms$70.14M · 1,126 claims
- Texas Spring Flooding$32.65M · 400 claims
- Spring severe storms$20.37M · 491 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 537 events, 32 deaths, $7.75B in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind196 · 3 deaths
- Hail139
- Flash Flood73 · 4 deaths
- Tornado28
- Funnel Cloud25
- Lightning18 · 2 deaths
- Drought15
- Heat9 · 13 deaths
- Flood6 · 1 death
- Winter Storm6
Events per year
55 tornadoes on record (EF0 5, EF1 2, EF2 1, EF3 1, F0 25, F1 15, F2 4, F3 2).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flash Flood08/28/2017
Boy, Montgomery County
4 deaths, $7B damage
What happened
Tropical Storm Harvey brought heavy rains and catastrophic flooding to portions of Montgomery County. There were 5 storm related fatalities, 3 direct. Major record flooding occurred along the San Jacinto River and tributaries. Water was reported over sections of I-45 northbound where TXDOT reported flooding at the FM 1097 intersection. Water was reported over sections of I-45 northbound where TXDOT reported flooding at the FM 1097 intersection. Record pool levels on Lake Conroe required downstream releases that flooded numerous downstream homes, businesses and vehicles. Major flooding occurred along the San Jacinto River and the east Fork of the San Jacinto and its tributaries inundated tens to hundreds of residential subdivisions. There were hundreds of flooded homes along Lake, Spring, Peach and Caney Creeks. There were impassable roads due to high water at Horseshoe Circle and Painted Blvd off the Grand Parkway, 19000 block of David Memorial from Sam's Club to Shenandoah Park, the 11000 block of River Oaks Drive, the 45 northbound lanes at Highway 242 and Hines Road in Willis. Flash flooding led to numerous road closures including FM149, FM1484, FM1485, FM1486, FM1774,...
- Hurricane (Typhoon)09/13/2008
Montgomery
2 deaths, $500M damage
What happened
Ike produced high winds and hurricane force wind gusts over Montgomery County. There were two indirect fatalities related to cutting trees and limbs. One was preparing for the storm, another after the storm.
- Flash Flood09/19/2019
New Caney, Montgomery County
$190M damage
What happened
Flooding was reported in the Woodbranch and New Caney areas. FM 1485 was closed near the East Fork of the San Jacinto River due flooding inundation. Highway 59 in New Caney became impassable due to floodwaters.
- Heat09/22/2005
Montgomery
13 deaths
What happened
Deaths were all associated with the evacuation for Hurricane Rita, both before and after Rita's arrival. Rita made landfall just east of the Texas/Louisiana border early Saturday morning, September 24th.
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill02/15/2021
Montgomery
3 deaths, $238K damage
What happened
Bitter cold air and wind overspread SE Texas behind and Arctic front on Valentines Day with wind chill indices below zero for much the period from Sunday night to Tuesday morning. Increased power demand, wind and ice led to widespread power outages. Bursting pipes caused many to be without water as well.
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind05/23/2023
Beach, Montgomery County
2 deaths, 7 injured
What happened
Strong thunderstorm wind gusts blew down the frame of a house under construction in Conroe, resulting in the death of two workers and seven injuries.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Flood06/16/2026
Egypt, Montgomery County
1 death
- Flash Flood06/16/2026
Tamina, Montgomery County
- Flash Flood06/16/2026
Honea, Montgomery County
- Heavy Rain06/16/2026
Willis, Montgomery County
1 death
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind05/11/2026
Karen, Montgomery County
- Hail1" hail03/16/2026
Splendora, Montgomery County
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind02/15/2026
Splendora, Montgomery County
$2,000 damage
- Winter Weather01/25/2026
Montgomery
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Montgomery County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Beryl (2024)06/28/2024 · Landfall: TX · 932 mbCategory 181 mph nearby
- Hurricane Ike (2008)09/01/2008 · Landfall: TX · 935 mbCategory 2109 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Edouard (2008)08/03/2008 · Landfall: TX · 996 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Allison (2001)06/05/2001 · Landfall: TX, LA · 1,000 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Hurricane Chantal (1989)07/30/1989 · Landfall: TX · 984 mbCategory 181 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Allison (1989)06/25/1989 · Landfall: TX · 999 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Hurricane Alicia (1983)08/15/1983 · Landfall: TX · 962 mbCategory 192 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Felice (1970)09/12/1970 · Landfall: TX · 990 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Cindy (1963)09/16/1963 · Landfall: TX · 996 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
- Hurricane Debra (1959)07/23/1959 · Landfall: TX · 980 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
Drinking water
338 community water systems serve about 757,804 people. Violations since 2021.
73 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 81 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- City of ConroeServes 113,912 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Porter Special Utility DistrictServes 26,388 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Montgomery Trace Water SystemServes 25,917 · Purchased surface water · PrivateNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Montgomery County Mud 46Serves 24,399 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Montgomery County Mud 47Serves 24,171 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Montgomery County Mud 67Serves 16,821 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Montgomery County Mud 60Serves 15,036 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- New Caney MudServes 14,307 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
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 Conroe, 1.9 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 96°F in Aug and winter lows bottom out near 42°F in Jan. About 51.0 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63°F | 42°F | 4.38 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 46°F | 3.32 in |
| Mar | 74°F | 52°F | 3.46 in |
| Apr | 80°F | 59°F | 3.39 in |
| May | 87°F | 67°F | 5.46 in |
| Jun | 92°F | 73°F | 5.21 in |
| Jul | 95°F | 74°F | 3.32 in |
| Aug | 96°F | 74°F | 4.53 in |
| Sep | 90°F | 70°F | 3.69 in |
| Oct | 82°F | 60°F | 5.39 in |
| Nov | 72°F | 51°F | 4.77 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 44°F | 4.10 in |
| Year | 70°F average | 51.0 in | |
Pollution sites
2 Superfund sites and 28 toxic release facilities in Montgomery County
Superfund sites
- Conroe Creosoting co.FinalConroe
- United Creosoting co.FinalConroe
Toxic release facilities
- Union Processing Systems LLC1.5 million lbs released, Conroe
- Huntsman Petrochemical LLC565,074 lbs released, Conroe
- Sabre Industries125,490 lbs released, Conroe
- Nov Downhole Conroe123,919 lbs released, Conroe
- Ball Metal Beverage Container Corp58,961 lbs released, Conroe
- Crown Beverage Packaging23,222 lbs released, Conroe
- Univar Solutions USA7,395 lbs released, Conroe
- Hempel (Usa) Inc5,101 lbs released, Conroe
- R&d Marble Inc.3,489 lbs released, Willis
- Lamberti USA Conroe Plant 89102,630 lbs released, Conroe
Total: 2.4 million lbs in 2024, 124,480 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Montgomery County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Montgomery County relatively high for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $222M a year. The highest-rated hazards are lightning (very high), tornado (very high), cold wave (relatively high).
- What storms are most common in Montgomery County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 537 storm events affecting Montgomery County, most often thunderstorm wind (196), hail (139), flash flood (73).
- How many tornadoes have hit Montgomery County?
- 55 tornadoes have been recorded in Montgomery County since 1950, including 3 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
- How many homes in Montgomery County have flood insurance?
- 21,232 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Montgomery County, covering about 10.7% of homes. The program has paid $634M on 13,035 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Montgomery County?
- At Conroe, average highs reach 96°F in Aug and lows fall to 42°F in Jan, with 51.0 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.