Enter any address in Maricopa County, Arizona to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms and slow-moving low pressure systems dominates the flood risk in Maricopa County, which recorded 580 flash flood events and 15 deaths compared to 81 general flood events and 4 deaths over the last 30 years. Recent activity includes heavy rainfall rates and training showers along State Route 238 in May 2025, alongside near-record moisture levels that produced 1 to 2 inches of rain across northern portions of the Phoenix area in June 2025. Unstable conditions also drove strong thunderstorms across south-central and southwest Arizona in August 2025.
Property owners and real estate agents should pay close attention across all flood zones, as historical NFIP claims reflect distinct impacts by zone. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume at 1,196 claims, averaging a $12,731 payout and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 494 claims with a higher average payout of $34,512 and a deeper average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Additional claims occurred in Zone UNKNOWN (461 claims, averaging a $7,733 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches), Zone X_SHADED (407 claims, averaging a $6,828 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches), and Zone X_UNSHADED (61 claims, averaging a $13,084 payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches).
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
554 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Maricopa County, Arizona has recorded 661 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 580 flash floods and 81 river or area floods. The county has received 27 federal disaster declarations, 10 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1966–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder View Fire | Fire | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Rose Fire | Fire | Jun 12, 2024 |
| Diamond Fire | Fire | Jun 27, 2023 |
| Avondale Fire | Fire | Jun 27, 2020 |
| Aquila Fire | Fire | Jun 23, 2020 |
| Bush Fire | Fire | Jun 20, 2020 |
| Ocotillo Fire | Fire | May 30, 2020 |
| East Desert Fire | Fire | May 17, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2025 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | 60.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | 200.00K (1 deaths) |
| Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 25, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 19, 2025 | 20.00K |
| Flash Flood | Nov 19, 2025 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Sep 27, 2025
A slow-moving low pressure system brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms over multiple days through much of the region. Activity on the 25th was mostly concentrated across higher terrain areas of eastern AZ, fueled by MLCAPE values approaching 2000 J/kg. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours, producing rainfall accumulations of over 2 inches in less th...
Flash Flood — Sep 26, 2025
A slow-moving low pressure system brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms over multiple days through much of the region. Activity on the 25th was mostly concentrated across higher terrain areas of eastern AZ, fueled by MLCAPE values approaching 2000 J/kg. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours, producing rainfall accumulations of over 2 inches in less th...
Flood — Aug 26, 2025
A cluster of thunderstorms developed across southwestern portions of the Phoenix area, near the Avondale and Goodyear area and then migrated northeastward into the north Phoenix and Scottsdale areas. With MLCAPE values between 500-1000 J/KG and DCAPE values of 1000 J/KG, it was enough to support isolated damaging wind gusts. In addition, with PWATs of around 1.5, the environment was sufficientl...
Flood — Aug 25, 2025
The environment across south-central and southwest Arizona on August 25th was primed for strong to severe thunderstorms with very moist and unstable conditions in place. The synoptic pattern featured a subtropical ridge of high pressure centered over northern New Mexico, promoting southeasterly flow aloft over Arizona and allowing for moisture advection into the region, while a Pacific trough t...
Flash Flood — Sep 19, 2025
Upper-level troughing off the west coast promoted a pocket of upper-level divergence over south-central AZ. With MLCAPE values ranging between 250-500 J/kg and PWAT values near 1.5, scattered thunderstorm activity with heavy rainfall rates developed across portions of the Phoenix metro area and were steered northeastward into northern Maricopa County. Although the thunderstorm activity was rath...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Maricopa County, Arizona:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Maricopa County, Arizona that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender, or a federally backed loan, are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.