150 flood insurance claims·$3.5M paid·6 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 Pinal 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 summer thunderstorms and tropical moisture systems dominates the flood character of Pinal County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 131 flash flood events resulting in 5 deaths, alongside 26 general flood events. Recent activity is documented in the narratives, including a flood event in August 2025 driven by colliding thunderstorm outflows, and widespread flash floods and flooding in October 2025 fueled by tropical moisture remnants from Tropical Storms Priscilla and Raymond.
NFIP claim records indicate that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Zone A leads with 58 claims averaging a $58,452 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X accounts for 48 claims with an average payout of $32,065 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Additionally, Zone UNKNOWN recorded 24 claims averaging $17,332 with an average water depth of 5 inches, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 13 claims averaging $26,813 with an average water depth of 18 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 7 claims averaging $7,052 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A and Zone X—particularly those with unshaded areas recording higher average water depths—should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Pinal County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
78 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 8 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 18 claims and $306,414 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.
95 NOAA storm reports from Pinal County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Arizona flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Cody Fire | May 21, 2025 |
| Shake Fire | Jul 9, 2024 |
| Simmons Fire | May 28, 2024 |
| Telegraph Fire | Jun 6, 2021 |
| Margo Fire | Apr 8, 2021 |
| Roach Fire | Jul 7, 2017 |
| Kearny River Fire | Jun 17, 2015 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 25, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
157 since 1996: 131 flash floods and 26 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Aug 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Oct 14, 2025 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 13, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 13, 2025 | $500 |
| Flood | Oct 12, 2025 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 than one hour across t…
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…
Flood · Aug 15, 2025. The combination of the subtropical high pressure over Colorado and an upper trough over west coast led to south-southwest flow over much of the region. Thunderstorm activity during the afternoon hours developed across southwest Maricopa County as well as across the Mogollon Rim area. By the mid to late evening hours, colliding outflows from these storm complexes led to the development of additional thunderstorm ac…
Flood · Oct 14, 2025. An influx of tropical moisture from tropical storms Pricilla and Raymond allowed for deep moisture as well as showers and thunderstorms to form from October 11th through October 14th. Severe thunderstorms moved through the Tucson Metro area on October 11th causing multiple reports of 1 inch hail and uprooted trees on the southeast side of the metro. Additionally, as this storm moved northward caused damage to elec…
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 Pinal 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.