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Zapata, Texas

10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1949 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Zapata census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78076. It lies near Arroyo Valeriano. The Survey maps it on the Zapata quadrangle. 5,383 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 394 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Zapata within Zapata County

Population over time

2 figures

Zapata grew from 5,089 to 5,383 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20105,089
20205,383+294 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 10 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

107 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 107 fires within 5 miles of Zapata between 2005 and 2019, burning about 647 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined68
Equipment and vehicle use16
Misuse of fire by a minor8
Debris and open burning8
Power generation/transmission/distribution6
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceMEDINA/GRASS FIRE
5 August 2016Equipment and vehicle use10 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE
3 August 2015Power generation/transmission/distribution1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE ACROSS LIBRARY
3 August 2015Power generation/transmission/distribution1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLINCOLN AND 10TH STREET
3 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceMEDINA/GRASS FIRE
23 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceSANTA MARIA GRASS FIRE
19 August 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServicePENA LN. VACANT LOT GRASS FIRE
19 August 2015Power generation/transmission/distribution1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceZAPATA CO WATER WORKS

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Zapata County

Storms near this place

60 of 61 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Zapata in 61 storm reports between 1993 and 2022: 20 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 6 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 1993HailZapata$500,000Hail up baseball-size was reported in Zapata. Over 200 claims have been filed for damage to homes and cars. The hail penetrated metal awnings and damaged cactus plants in the area.
May 2022Flash FloodZapata$300,000Video on social media shows several feet of fast moving water near Medina Street - a flood-prone area known as Medina Addition - with two SUVs that had been swept off the road and into a ditch. Video later shows the vehicles getting dragged out of the ditch by a tow truck. Based on the during and after videos, it is estimated that 3 to 4 feet of fast flowing water was moving across the road at the height of the flash flooding. Additional video shows people having to abandon homes during the height of the flooding and the water coming up to their waists, which supports the 3 to 4 foot estimates of fast moving water. A report of 8 of rain came in from just northwest of Zapata from this storm. The local newspaper in Zapata County later reported that at least 15 homes were affected with many of them losing their furniture, clothing, and household items.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindZapata$100,000Damaging winds associated with a severe thunderstorm completely blew a roof off of a medical clinic in Zapata. The winds also destroyed a mobile home and damaged canopies at a gas station.
May 2004LightningZapata$75,000A home burned to the ground after being struck by lightning.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindZapata$50,000A mobile home roof was reported to be blown off and a second mobile home suffered substantial damage. Branches were also twisted off several trees in the adjacent area.
May 2004Flash FloodZapata$50,000Thunderstorms with very heavy rain produced flooding of streets in Zapata. Two cars were reported stranded in high water.
May 2002Tornado (F0)Zapata$25,000A brief tornado was reported by law enforcement officials in the city of Zapata. Several roofs were damaged with numerous reports of power outages.
March 2007Thunderstorm WindZapata$15,000Roof of a house was blown off onto electrical power lines in the community of Siesta Shores.
September 2003Flash FloodZapata$15,000Heavy rains led to flash flooding of U.S. Highway 83 near Zapata, with arroyos adjacent to the roadway running full. Substantial flooding of roadways was also reported in the City of Zapata.
April 2007Thunderstorm WindZapata$10,000Laredo media reported roof damage to hardware store in Zapata.
April 2004HailZapata$10,000Chief of Zapata Police reported broken windshields on vehicles 2 miles east of State Highway 83 on FM road 2687.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindZapata$10,000Power lines were down and trees were damaged.
August 2016LightningZapata$7,500The Zapata County Emergency Manager also reported three lightning strikes to power poles in the Medina Addition, Siesta Shores, and in Falcon and a lightning strike to a gas tank in Aguilares.
August 2008Flash FloodZapata$5,000Developing thunderstorms that initially affected Starr County during the late afternoon of the 22nd gradually spread north, generally along Federal Highway 83, helping to develop other torrential rains into western Zapata County. The Zapata fire department reported widespread flooding in the town of Zapata, ongoing at 730 PM CDT. There was likely additional road flooding along portions of Federal Highway 83 between the Falcon Dam area and Zapata, where some of the heavier rains developed, into the mid evening.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindZapata$5,000Trees and power lines down.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindZapata$5,000no account filed
May 2015Flash FloodZapata$2,000Zapata County Sheriffs Office reported reported that a family on the north side of Zapata was evacuated due to water entering the home.
April 2009HailZapata$2,000Hail fell for more than 15 minutes near Zapata County during the mid evening. The Zapata County Emergency Management Coordinator received a report of quarter size hail in the Las Palmas subdivision, about 4 miles northeast of the City of Zapata. The Manager of the Zapata County Airport noted quarter size hail as well, which cause indentations in some vehicles' hoods. Some larger stones of unknown size were embedded with the quarter sized hail field.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindZapata$2,000Emergency management official reported minor damage to homes from thunderstorm winds.
September 1996Thunderstorm WindZapata$2,000no account filed
May 2015Thunderstorm WindZapata$1,000Zapata County Sheriffs Office reported a trampoline blown on top of power lines in Zapata. 40 mph gust reported at Zapata County Airport (Medina), approximately 6 miles north of the damage location. Event wind speed estimated based on proximity and no other corroborating damage.
April 2010Flash FloodZapata$1,000The Chief of Police in the City of Zapata reported one and one half feet of water was flowing on Alamo St. and State Highway 16. The arroyo at Highway 16 and Carla Street overflowed its banks, with one and one half feet of water flowing over the road there as well. Heavy creek and arroyo flooding was also reported at the Manuel Medina Addition colonia, south of Zapata County Airport.
May 2022FloodZapata-Law enforcement reported minor street flooding due to very heavy rain near the Medina Subdivision near Zapata County High School.
May 2020FloodZapata-Minor flooding was reported in the Medina addition with arroyo overflowing on Guerrero Ave. between 4th and 7th St. up with up to 2 feet of flowing water depth. Time estimated via radar.
June 2020FloodZapata-As some isolated thunderstorms merged in northwestern Zapata County and slowly moved south-southwest, heavy rainfall caused some minor flooding. An Emergency Manager called to report ongoing minor street flooding with at least 1 foot of water depth at the intersection of Highway 16 and Alamo Street at 7:11 PM CDT.
May 2017Flash FloodZapata-Zapata County Sheriff's Office reported the Medina addition arroyo was flooded with water and there was flooding in the city of Zapata. Radar estimated 3 to 4 inches of rainfall.
May 2017HailZapata-Public reported via social media quarter size hail in the city of Zapata.
April 2016HailZapata-Zapata County Sheriff's Office relayed several reports of nickel to quarter sized hail falling across the city of Zapata.
March 2015Heavy RainZapata-Zapata County EM reported 2.75 inches of rainfall.
May 2015Heavy RainZapata-Zapata County Sheriffs Office reported flooding of the arroyos near the Medina Addition in Zapata, along with a foot of water on roadways.
May 2015Flash FloodZapata-Zapata County Sheriffs Office reported knee high water over the roads in the Medina addition and between Miraflores and Highway 83 in Zapata due to swollen arroyos.
November 2014HailZapata-Zapata County EM reported hail to around ping pong ball size.
November 2014Thunderstorm WindZapata-Zapata County EM reported several older houses had roofs partially removed, several metal buildings and trailers had roofs totally removed, a chain link fence was blow down, numerous trees and power lines were blown down through the city, and a large object blew off a construction site at the courthouse and damaged nearby objects. Wind speeds were estimated to be 65 to 70 mph.
February 2013HailZapata-Trained Skywarn spotter reported golf ball size hail at the Zapata County Airport.
April 2012HailZapata-Quarter sized hail reported by trained storm spotter in Zapata.
May 2012Heavy RainZapata-Heavy rainfall of unknown amount caused minor flooding in the Medina Addition section of the City of Zapata.
September 2008Heavy RainZapata-Torrential rains from two intense thunderstorms dropped an estimated 4 or more inches in north central Zapata County, generally in rural areas along and north of State Highway 16, bounded by Bustamente and Escobas on the east. As of this writing, no reports of flooding have been received.
May 2008HailZapata-The public reported hail up to 1.75 inches was observed falling approximately 6 miles southeast of Zapata along US highway 83, as the supercell thunderstorm began edging toward Starr County.
April 2007Thunderstorm WindZapata-A newspaper employee in Zapata reported trees with diameter of one foot toppled by estimated 60 mph wind.
March 2007Thunderstorm WindZapata-Small trees reported down in the community of Siesta Shores.
May 2006HailZapata-Large hail was reported at the Fandango Gas Plant.
May 2006HailZapata-Large hail was reported by the Sheriff's Office in Zapata.
July 2005Tornado (F0)Zapata-Short-lived tornado was relayed by Zapata County Sheriff's Office. Tornado occurred over open ranch land. No damage reported.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindZapata-Emergency management coordinator reported wind damage from very strong thunderstorms. The coordinator reported medium sized trees uprooted, sheet metal blown off roofs, and the covering of a little league bleacher destroyed.
May 2002HailZapata-.88 inch hail reported by law enforcement officials
May 2001HailZapata-Dime size hail was reported by the public along Highway 2687.
June 2001Flash FloodZapata-The Zapata County Sheriff reported that U.S. Highway 83 was flooded from the city of Zapata to San Ygnacio, and along State Highway 16 from the city of Zapata to Bustamante.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindZapata-Numerous shingles were blown off a home.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindZapata-The roof was torn off of a school that was under construction.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindZapata-Large tree limbs broken.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindZapata-The Zapata Fire Department reported very heavy rain, dime-sized hail, and winds estimated at 50 to 60 miles an hour.
July 1994HailZapata-The Zapata Fire Department reported very heavy rain, dime-sized hail, and winds estimated at 50 to 60 miles an hour.
April 1993HailZapata-The Department of Public Safety reported golf ball-size hail in Zapata.
March 2007HailZapata-no account filed
May 2005HailZapata-no account filed
April 2003HailZapata-no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindZapata-no account filed
February 1998HailZapata-no account filed
September 1996HailZapata-no account filed
August 1996Heavy RainZapata-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Zapata County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
A F Pierce Colonia0.3 miles10
Guzman Colonia0.4 miles10
Flores Addition Colonia0.6 miles10
Ranchito San Jose Colonia1.0 miles10
Buena Vista Colonia1.1 miles10
Medina1.1 miles10
Manuel Medina Addition Colonia1.2 miles10
Falcon Estates Colonia1.2 miles10

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on ZapataAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q967558The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1350720. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.