10 flood insurance claims·$122,741 paid·3 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 Archuleta 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 and river flooding equally shape the flood risk profile in Archuleta County, supported by 8 flash flood events and 7 flood events recorded over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences include flash flooding on September 12, 2025, driven by monsoonal moisture channeled northward through the Four Corners by a low-pressure system and a southeastern ridge. Additionally, prolonged rainfall from October 10 to 14, 2025, brought multiday totals between 3 and 8 inches—with higher amounts in the San Juan Mountains—causing flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Priscilla.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that historical claims are concentrated in specific areas. Zone A properties experienced 9 claims with an average payout of $17,534 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners located within Zone A should pay the most attention to flood risk, given the concentration of paid claims and recorded water depths in that zone.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 2025, with 5 claims and $119,366 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Archuleta County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Oak Fire | Aug 10, 2025 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Drought | Jan 29, 1977 |
| Flooding & Landslides | Jul 6, 1973 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Sep 22, 1970 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
15 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Oct 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2025 | $4,000 |
| Flood | Oct 11, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 13, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2023 | $2,500 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2014 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Oct 13, 2025. Between October 10-14, 2025, southwest Colorado experienced prolonged periods of rain and some of the largest multiday rainfall totals on record with rainfall accumulations between 3 and 8 inches, with locally higher amounts across the San Juan Mountains. Remnants from two tropical storms supplied anomalous moisture across the region, with minimal break between events. The first round of heavy rainfall resulted in…
Flash Flood · Sep 12, 2025. The period between the 11th and 13th of September had a relatively unique meteorological setup for western Colorado and eastern Utah. A potent closed low was located over Southern California, and a ridge of high pressure was located to our southeast, directing a rich plume of monsoonal moisture northward through the Four Corners. Mixing ratios in this plume of moisture were more than high enough to not only help f…
Flood · Oct 11, 2025. Between October 10-14, 2025, southwest Colorado experienced prolonged periods of rain and some of the largest multiday rainfall totals on record with rainfall accumulations between 3 and 8 inches, with locally higher amounts across the San Juan Mountains. Remnants from two tropical storms supplied anomalous moisture across the region, with minimal break between events. The first round of heavy rainfall resulted in…
Flood · Apr 13, 2023. Above normal temperatures accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack. This resulted in high and fast flows on several rivers and drainages across Western Colorado. The increased runoff and flooding compromised several county roads and bridges across Montezuma, Archuleta, Routt, Delta, Dolores, Montrose, and Moffat counties.
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 Archuleta 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.