584 flood insurance claims·$7.9M paid·8 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Pima County, Arizona. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe storms dominates Pima County, with the past 30 years recording 521 flash flood events resulting in 20 deaths, compared to 43 general flood events and 1 death. Severe weather events, such as those driven by tropical moisture from tropical storms Priscilla and Raymond in October 2025, brought thunderstorms to the Tucson Metro area causing uprooted trees, 1-inch hail, and electrical damage that resulted in an 18-hour power outage for 856 customers.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims span multiple zones with varying water depths. Zone A recorded 332 claims with an average payout of $25,262 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X recorded 146 claims averaging a $23,549 payout with an average recorded water depth of 22 inches. Additional claims occurred in unknown zones (59 claims, average payout $15,669, average depth 2 inches), unshaded Zone X (31 claims, average payout $16,357, average depth 6 inches), and shaded Zone X (16 claims, average payout $9,893, average depth 7 inches).
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and Zone X, where the highest volume of claims and significant average water depths demonstrate ongoing flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Pima County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
379 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 9 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1983, with 77 claims and $933,067 paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
132 NOAA storm reports from Pima County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arizona flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Big Horn Fire | Jun 11, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 25, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Aspen Fire | Jun 17, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Jan 5, 1993 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jul 8, 1990 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Sep 23, 1983 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Dec 21, 1978 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
564 since 1996: 521 flash floods and 43 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 18, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2025 | $500 |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. Thunderstorms were slow moving and allowed for heavy rainfall to cause flash flooding in Saint David and Arivaca, AZ where running washed flowed over roadways.
Flash Flood · Sep 25, 2025. Severe thunderstorms moved across Southeastern Arizona causing strong winds, hail ranging from 0.75 to 1.0 inches in diameter, and locally heavy rainfall that led to flash flooding. A swift water rescue occurred near Tombstone involving 5 individuals with no injuries. Additionally, an estimated 8 to 12 inches of water flowed underneath the Bowie underpass roadway shown on webcam.
Flash Flood · Aug 25, 2025. Strong to severe thunderstorms moved northwest through Southeastern Arizona the afternoon and evening of August 25th. These storms caused the formation of a dust storm that decreased visibilities to less than 0.25 miles, caused damage to utility equipment causing power outages for an estimated total of 1283 customers, and caused damage to a roof. Additionally, the heavy rainfall from the thunderstorms caused cars…
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2025. Thunderstorms moved northward through Pima and Cochise counties and produced heavy rainfall with reported totals ranging from 0.10 to 1.0 inches. The heavy rainfall closed multiple roadways in Tucson, Saint David, Tombstone, and Sierra Vista.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Pima County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.