154 flood insurance claims·$593,660 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 Adams County, Colorado. 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 dominates the flood profile of Adams County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 21 flash flood events and 5 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent storms demonstrate these hazards. On August 19, 2024, severe thunderstorms produced hail, 60 mph winds, landspout tornadoes, and flash flooding. Later, on June 29, 2023, heavy rain combined with widespread hail accumulating up to 6 inches deep on roadways between Watkins and Bennett, stranding vehicles and closing Highway 36.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 55 claims with an average payout of $9,096 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X accounts for 48 claims with an average payout of $6,771 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Additionally, Zone UNKNOWN records 33 claims averaging a $10,740 payout with an average water depth of 2 inches, Zone X_UNSHADED records 11 claims averaging a $3,372 payout with an average water depth of 1 inch, and Zone X_SHADED records 7 claims averaging a $1,581 payout with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within Zone A and Zone X, where both claim frequency and average water depths are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
25% of Adams County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
73 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 1984, with 17 claims and $32,668 paid.
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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Adams County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Sep 11, 2013 |
| Snow | Dec 18, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Mar 17, 2003 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Heavy Rains, Snowmelt And Flooding | May 23, 1973 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | May 19, 1969 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flood | May 11, 2023 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2014 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2013 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2025. Strong to severe thunderstorms develop across northeast Colorado. Large hail was the main impact. A brief tornado form east of Denver over the open plains. No damage was reported with the tornado. Numerous photos and reports were passed along to the National Weather Service.
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2024. Severe thunderstorms developed along a convergence boundary that stretched from Limon to Sterling. The storms produce hail up to an inch and a half in diameter, winds to 60 mph, two landspout tornadoes and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2023. Severe thunderstorms produced large hail, from penny to tennis ball size across parts of Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Washington counties. The hail along with heavy rain caused flooding and flash flooding problems. In Adams County, widespread hail accumulated up to 6 inches deep on the roadways between Watkins and Bennett, with localized accumulations up to a foot reported. Highway 36 was closed due to…
Flood · May 11, 2023. A slow moving storm system produced flooding and flash flooding across the urban corridor and northeast plains, with heavy snowfall in the higher mountains of the Front Range. Storm total rainfall during the 3-day event ranged from 4 to 7 inches across the urban corridor and Palmer Divide, with 2 to 5 inches across the plains. Additionally, from 1 to 2 feet of heavy wet snow occurred above 10 thousand feet. The…
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 Adams 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.