Flash Floods Can Strike Fast in Randall County

Randall County averages about 20 inches of rain per year, but storms here tend to dump large amounts in a short time. The Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and Tierra Blanca Creek drain through the area, and both can rise quickly. Palo Duro Canyon itself warns visitors that flash flooding is a serious hazard on the canyon floor.

Before buying land near a draw or creek bottom, check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov to see if the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Lenders often require flood insurance for those zones. Even outside mapped flood zones, heavy rain can cause local flooding in the flat, clay-heavy soils of the High Plains.