Flood History
Flooding in The Woodlands: Spring Creek, Creekside Park, Hurricane Harvey and the 2026 Draft Flood Maps
Updated September 2026
Bottom line: Spring Creek flooded homes in The Woodlands in the spring 2016 storms and again in Hurricane Harvey in 2017, most heavily around Creekside Park. First Street's model puts 6% of Woodlands properties at severe flood risk over 30 years.
Where has The Woodlands flooded?
Along Spring Creek, above all. In the spring 2016 storms, 25 properties in The Woodlands took floodwater, including a church and a high school, and the brunt of the rain fell on the Village of Creekside Park, where Kuykendahl and Gosling roads closed near Spring Creek on May 28. A Township director said at the time that Kuykendahl had three feet of water over it. A utility district director in Grogan's Mill said his area saw only street flooding.
Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 flooded far more homes along the same stretch of the creek. Residents of Timarron Lakes, a neighborhood beside Spring Creek that pays Harris-Montgomery Counties MUD 386, estimated that about 100 homes flooded there and about 200 in neighboring Timarron. In the May 2016 flood, six homes had flooded in the two neighborhoods together.
Who is responsible for drainage in The Woodlands?
No single agency. A June 2016 summary prepared for the Township board says authority and funding for drainage in The Woodlands sit primarily with the municipal utility districts, the counties and the San Jacinto River Authority, and that the Township has no direct responsibility for the drainage systems. The board voted on June 22, 2016 to form a drainage task force of those agencies, the developer and village representatives.
Community Impact reported that year that Montgomery County had no equivalent of the Harris County Flood Control District, which plans flood control and flood warning for Harris County, the county Creekside Park is in.
What did Creekside Park's utility district say about its drainage?
That it was built to the standard Harris County requires. After the 2016 flood, Timarron Lakes residents asked MUD 386 for a culvert to carry overflow from Timarron back to Spring Creek. The district's engineering firm answered in February 2017 that its drainage was designed for a 100-year storm, as Harris County requires, that the proposed work would only engage in a larger storm, and that on further review a culvert would bring "effectively no benefit at any cost".
The Houston Chronicle reported in October 2017 that MUD 386 was created in 2001, had grown to about 3,500 acres and served about 4,900 homes in some of The Woodlands' newest neighborhoods.
What was the 2018 Timarron flood lawsuit?
On May 31, 2018, 485 homeowners in the Timarron Park area sued The Woodlands Land Development Company, The Howard Hughes Corporation and LJA Engineering, alleging that homes were built at unreasonably low elevations in a 500-year floodplain and that flooding there had occurred at least five times. Howard Hughes said it does not comment on pending legal matters.
A federal court sent the case back to state court in 2018, finding that the homeowners were challenging the developers' and engineers' choices rather than FEMA's flood designations. This page did not confirm how the case ended, and the allegations are the homeowners', not findings.
What do the 2026 draft flood maps change for The Woodlands?
For now, nothing on paper. FEMA released draft flood maps for Harris County and Houston on February 12, 2026, built on rainfall data gathered after Hurricane Harvey that shows rainfall rates more than 30% higher than the data behind the maps in force since 2007. The Harris County Flood Control District stressed that the drafts are not final, not regulatory, and do not change flood insurance requirements or building rules.
The drafts go through preliminary and effective stages before they replace the current maps, a process expected to take two to three years. Because they are Harris County's maps, they reach only the part of The Woodlands in Harris County, Creekside Park; the Montgomery County villages are not on them.
How much flood risk does The Woodlands carry overall?
First Street Foundation's model, shown on Redfin's page for The Woodlands, rates the community's flood factor as minor and puts 6% of its properties at risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years. That figure is an average across the whole community, and it says nothing about whether a particular house sits in that 6%.
How should you check one Woodlands house for flood risk?
Start with the current FEMA flood map for the parcel and, in Creekside Park, the draft map as well. Ask the seller whether the house has flooded or had a flood insurance claim, and ask the utility district about the drainage serving the section. Then price flood insurance before the option period ends, the short window in a Texas purchase contract when a buyer can still back out for a fee.
The Texas Department of Insurance says most home insurance policies do not cover flood damage, that a lender requires flood insurance for a home in a designated flood zone, that about 40% of National Flood Insurance Program claims come from outside the high-risk areas, and that most flood policies have a 30-day waiting period.
What can this page not tell you?
The flood zone of a particular lot, its elevation, or its claims history, none of which a community-wide page can know. It also cannot say when the Harris County maps will take effect, what the final maps will show for a given street, or how the Timarron lawsuit ended.
Questions & answers
The Woodlands questions, answered
Does The Woodlands flood?
Parts of it have. In the spring 2016 storms, 25 properties in The Woodlands took floodwater, and Kuykendahl and Gosling roads closed near Spring Creek in Creekside Park on May 28. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, residents estimated about 300 flooded homes in Timarron and Timarron Lakes, two neighborhoods on Spring Creek.
First Street Foundation's model, shown on Redfin, puts 6% of properties in The Woodlands at risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years and rates the community's flood factor as minor. That is an average: two neighborhoods on Spring Creek flooded in both 2016 and 2017, while a Grogan's Mill utility district director reported only street flooding there in 2016. Check the flood map and the history of the particular house before buying.
Did Creekside Park flood during Hurricane Harvey?
Parts of it did. Residents of Timarron Lakes, a neighborhood on Spring Creek served by Creekside Park's utility district, MUD 386, estimated that about 100 homes flooded there during Harvey in 2017 and about 200 in neighboring Timarron. In May 2016, six homes had flooded in the two neighborhoods together.
In 2018, 485 homeowners in the Timarron Park area sued the developer, The Howard Hughes Corporation and LJA Engineering, alleging homes were built too low in a 500-year floodplain; a federal court returned the case to state court that year, and this site did not confirm the outcome. MUD 386's engineers said in 2017 that its drainage was built for a 100-year storm, as Harris County requires.
Who is responsible for drainage in The Woodlands?
No single agency. A June 2016 summary for The Woodlands Township board says authority and funding for drainage sit primarily with the municipal utility districts, Montgomery and Harris counties and the San Jacinto River Authority, and that the Township has no direct responsibility for the drainage systems. The Township formed a drainage task force that June.
In Creekside Park, Harris-Montgomery Counties MUD 386 handles drainage within the district, and the Harris County Flood Control District plans flood control and flood warning for Harris County. Community Impact reported in 2016 that Montgomery County had no equivalent agency. For one house, the utility district serving its section is the first place to ask about local drainage.
Do the new 2026 FEMA flood maps affect The Woodlands?
Only Creekside Park, and not yet. FEMA released draft flood maps for Harris County on February 12, 2026, reflecting rainfall rates more than 30% higher than the data behind the 2007 maps. The drafts are not final and do not change insurance requirements or building rules. Creekside Park is the only part of The Woodlands in Harris County.
The drafts must pass through preliminary and effective stages, with public comment, before they replace the current maps, a process expected to take two to three years. The Montgomery County villages are not on the Harris County maps. A Creekside Park buyer can compare the effective and draft maps for a parcel in the viewer the county's flood control district published.
Do I need flood insurance in The Woodlands?
A lender requires it for a home in a designated flood zone, and the Texas Department of Insurance says most home insurance policies do not cover flood damage at all. About 40% of National Flood Insurance Program claims come from outside high-risk areas, and most flood policies have a 30-day waiting period before coverage starts.
In The Woodlands, First Street's model puts 6% of properties at risk of severe flooding over 30 years, and the flooding reported in 2016 and 2017 was along Spring Creek. Price a flood policy for the specific house during the option period, before you are committed, and ask the seller whether the house has flooded or had a flood claim.