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FEMA flood zones · Colorado

Dolores County, Colorado Flood Zone Map

4 federal flood & hurricane disasters

Less than 1% of Dolores County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Dolores 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.

In their words

3 NOAA storm reports from Dolores County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →

Federal disasters

8 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Hurricane Katrina EvacuationAug 29, 2005
WildfiresApr 23, 2002
Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & FloodingJul 27, 1984
DroughtJan 29, 1977
Flooding & LandslidesJul 6, 1973
Heavy Rains & FloodingSep 22, 1970

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

8 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
FloodMay 16, 2023$2,500
FloodApr 12, 2023$25,000
FloodMay 1, 2023$500
Flash FloodJul 31, 2022$500
Flash FloodJul 25, 2017—
Flash FloodSep 22, 2013—
Flash FloodJul 26, 2010—
FloodSep 10, 2002—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Flood · May 16, 2023. Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on drainages in several counties across the Western Slope. As a result, flooding compromised various low-lying roads and areas. This included some lanes along I-70 west of Fruita, Colorado.

Flood · Apr 12, 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.

Flood · May 1, 2023. Very warm spring temperatures and an above normal snowpack resulted in excessive runoff leading to mud and debris flows across portions of west-central Colorado, as well as damage due to flooding.

Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2022. Abundant monsoon moisture remained over the Four Corners region. This led to another round of showers and thunderstorms across southwest Colorado. Storms were slow moving and produced heavy rain. One such storm wiped out a portion of the road leading from the El Diente Peak trailhead from flash flooding.

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Dolores County

If a building in Dolores 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.