2 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 Cheyenne 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 Cheyenne County, Colorado, accounting for 27 of the 31 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 4 general flood events.
Heavy rainfall events frequently lead to rapid water accumulation and infrastructure disruption. For example, a system on June 16, 2023, produced over two inches of rain and subsequent flash flooding that was worsened by additional heavy rainfall the following day. Similarly, thunderstorms on July 12, 2020, dropped heavy rain that caused a portion of Highway 385 to become impassable due to flash flooding. Earlier, an overnight storm on August 28, 2025, produced rainfall estimates of 3.5 inches in less than 30 minutes, resulting in basement flash flooding.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties vulnerable to rapid surface water accumulation, intense short-duration rainfall, and localized runoff hazards associated with severe convective storms.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8 NOAA storm reports from Cheyenne County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 8, 2023 |
| Snow | Dec 28, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Apr 11, 2001 |
| Drought | Jan 29, 1977 |
| Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding | Jun 19, 1965 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
31 since 1996: 27 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 6, 2022 | $10 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2020 | $2,500 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2017 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2017 | $75,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 28, 2025. During the night a high precipitation storm moved over eastern Colorado, producing rainfall estimates of 3.5 inches, the most of which fell in less than 30 minutes. This caused some basement flash flooding. There was also a report of farm stead having moderate damage from the thunderstorm winds.
Flash Flood · Jun 16, 2023. In the early afternoon of the 16th, a system of thunderstorms formed in east central Colorado and progressed eastward. The strongest cells of this system remained south of I-70 through Colorado. Up to 1.75 inch diameter hail was reported from this system. Multiple reports of greater than 2 inches of rain were also reported with this system which caused flash flooding to occur in Cheyenne county. Another round of h…
Flood · Jul 6, 2022. During the afternoon hours on the 6th, isolated storms developed over Eastern Colorado and evolved into a line of storms that moved east into Northwest Kansas through the night. These storms produced wind gusts estimated up to 60 mph across Cheyenne County, Colorado along with up to penny sized hail and heavy rain up to 4.5 inches. The heaviest rainfall amounts were reported in the eastern half of Cheyenne County…
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2020. Thunderstorms initiated along a dry line in central Colorado moving east and forming a cluster of supercells that produced up to 70 mph wind gusts and large hail up to tennis ball in size across Yuma County. Supercells developed over Cheyenne County as the northern cluster crossed into Kansas and Nebraska. The southern cells eventually formed a cluster that was able to produce up to half dollar sized hail, a lands…
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 Cheyenne 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.