Insurance in Lubbock, Texas

Hail swaths that cross south Lubbock

Hail carries the largest damage estimates in NOAA's Lubbock County storm records since 2015. On May 19, 2018, two nearly stationary supercells dropped tennis ball to baseball size hail from Quaker Avenue and 130th Street to Slide Avenue and 122nd Street, and NOAA's storm log records an estimate that every home in Vintage Township would need a new roof. On May 20, 2020, baseball size hail pounded south-central Lubbock, and NWS Lubbock reported numerous vehicle windows shattered,, and on June 23, 2023 a grapefruit size stone was reported at 98th Street and Upland Avenue.

Check how your policy settles a roof, replacement cost or actual cash value, since that can decide what a hail claim pays (roof coverage). On a car parked outside, comprehensive coverage, if you carry it, typically pays for hail damage after your deductible. Preliminary insurance data cited in NOAA's log showed about 4,000 auto claims after the 2018 storm, and many area body shops worked overtime, so rental reimbursement may matter.

Loop 88, I-27 and blowing dust

TxDOT is building Loop 88, a four-segment outer route from US 84 at Shallowater through Wolfforth and south Lubbock to US 84 at Slaton. Its April 2026 roundup reported the first segments open, including FM 1585 rebuilt as a six-lane freeway. I-27 runs from I-40 in Amarillo to Loop 289 on Lubbock's south side. TxDOT's 2024 table counts 5,173 crashes in Lubbock, 26 of them fatal, killing 29 people.

Dust matters too: during a June 5, 2019 haboob the airport reported a 47 mph gust and quarter-mile visibility. In a low-visibility crash like that, collision coverage, if you carry it, can pay to repair your own car even when you are at fault, and uninsured motorist coverage can pay when the other driver carries none. TxDOT sells Texas peace officer crash reports to people directly concerned in a crash through its Crash Report Online Purchase System: $6 for a regular copy or $8 certified, plus a small online surcharge.

When the playas run over

On June 1, 2016, several playa lakes in west and southwest Lubbock overflowed into homes, vehicles and businesses, and some drivers were rescued from water up to five feet deep. On November 2, 2024, 1 to 3 inches of rain put more than 6 inches of water at 98th Street and Indiana Avenue. The EPA says the Quaker Avenue area of northwest Lubbock has long been prone to flooding and that a 2015 flood made roads impassable and forced ambulances onto other routes; the city financed $35 million through the Texas Water Development Board for drains that route stormwater into playas. A flood policy is separate from home insurance and usually takes effect 30 days after purchase.

The Lubbock County page has the countywide record, and Midland shares the spring dryline pattern: its May 30, 2024 tornado and hail began where a dryline met an outflow boundary. Useful public tools:

• LBKAlert: the City of Lubbock's emergency alert system, used for warnings such as tornado take-cover alerts. Sign up at LBKalert.com or text your ZIP code to 888-777.
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center: look up the official flood map for any Lubbock address.
• West Texas Mesonet: more than 189 stations log wind gusts and rainfall every minute, which can help date a storm loss.

Local risk: the federal disaster record in Lubbock

Since 2000, FEMA has made 14 disaster, emergency or fire-management declarations covering Lubbock County. By type:

• Hurricanes and coastal storms: 6
• Severe storms (hail, wind, tornadoes): 2
• Wildfires: 2
• Winter and ice storms: 2

Most recent major disaster declarations:

• 2021: Severe Winter Storms
• 2015: Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
• 2015: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds And Flooding
• 2010: Hurricane Alex

Severe storms bring hail and wind. Check your home policy's wind and hail deductible (often a percentage of the dwelling limit) and your roof's age, and carry comprehensive coverage on your car.

Wildfire risk makes replacement-cost coverage, adequate dwelling limits and additional living expenses coverage especially important. Keep a home inventory somewhere other than your home.

Not every hurricane declaration here means a storm hit: many were emergency declarations for sheltering evacuees from the coast, or statewide declarations. Lubbock is far from storm surge, but tropical systems moving inland can still bring heavy rain and strong wind. Check your wind and hail deductible and whether you need a separate flood policy, since home policies leave flooding out.

Declarations count how often federal help was declared, not how bad each event was. Statewide declarations (such as the February 2021 winter storm) are counted for every county, and the total includes the two 2020 COVID-19 declarations, which aren’t listed by type. These are Lubbock County figures; FEMA doesn't publish them by city.

Home insurance in Lubbock

Lubbock County isn't in TWIA's coastal area, so wind and hail are usually covered by your regular home policy, often with a separate wind and hail deductible. If you can't find coverage at all, the Texas FAIR Plan is the last-resort option.

Flooding isn’t covered by standard home or renters policies anywhere in Texas. With 6 flood or hurricane declarations in Lubbock County since 2000, it's worth pricing a flood policy even outside a mapped flood zone.

Texas law also sets claim deadlines: your insurer must acknowledge a claim within 15 days and accept or deny it within 15 business days of getting what it needs. See Texas home insurance.

Car insurance in Lubbock

Every Texas driver needs at least 30/60/25 liability coverage. PIP is included and uninsured motorist coverage must be offered unless you reject them in writing. Given the storm and flood history here, comprehensive coverage, which pays for hail and flood damage to your own car, matters more than the minimum suggests. Rates vary by ZIP code within Lubbock. See Texas car insurance.

Medicare in Lubbock

54,911 Lubbock County residents are eligible for Medicare, and 52.50% of them are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (CMS, September 2026). Plans are sold by county, so compare what’s available in your ZIP code on the Medicare Plan Finder, and review your coverage during Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7.

Free, unbiased Medicare counseling for Lubbock County comes from the South Plains AAA (806-687-0940), part of Texas’s HICAP program. See Medicare in Texas.

ZIP codes in Lubbock

79401 · 79402 · 79403 · 79404 · 79406 · 79407 · 79408 · 79409 · 79410 · 79411 · 79412 · 79413 · 79414 · 79415 · 79416 · 79423 · 79424 · 79430 · 79452 · 79453 · 79457 · 79464 · 79490 · 79491 · 79493 · 79499

Common questions