3 flood insurance claims·$10,317 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 Costilla 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 standard flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk profile in Costilla County, evenly split across the historical record.
Monsoonal moisture and slow-moving storms over higher terrain and near the mountains frequently trigger heavy rainfall and flash flooding during the summer months. For example, heavy rainfall and flash flooding occurred in July 2021 due to an abundance of moisture, instability, and slow-moving storms near the mountains. Similarly, persistent storm development produced flash flooding across southern Colorado in July 2020.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims have occurred in both unshaded Zone X and Zone A. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded two claims with an average payout of $10,317 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone A properties recorded one claim with an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners in unshaded Zone X and Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk.
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 10 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 2014, with 1 claims and $10,317 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 Costilla County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Spring Creek Fire | Jun 28, 2018 |
| Malo Vega Fire | Jun 18, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Mar 17, 2003 |
| 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.
20 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 6, 2019 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2022. Showers and thunderstorms, some strong, occurred over the higher terrain and adjacent plains during the evening time frame. Most storms were focused along the I-25 corridor, where heavy rain caused flash flooding in several locations in El Paso and Pueblo Counties.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2021. An abundance of moisture and instability, focus for thunderstorm development over and near the mountains, and slow moving storms all supported heavy rainfall with flash flooding. Multiple reports were noted along the eastern mountains.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2020. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding occurred once again on this day, though reports remained isolated to far southern Colorado over and around the Spring burn scar.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2020. Another day of showers and thunderstorms occurred over a good portion of southern Colorado. Flash flooding remained heightened on this day for the Spring burn scar, as well as parts of the eastern San Juan mountains where focus for persistent storm development and heavy rain occurred.
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 Costilla 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.