857 flood insurance claims·$6.0M paid·8 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 El Paso 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 heavy summer rainfall dominates the flood risk in El Paso County, Colorado, accounting for 182 recorded events and four deaths over the last 30 years, compared to 19 standard flood events and two deaths.
Recent occurrences illustrate this pattern. In July 2025, heavy rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches in 30 minutes caused flash flooding and minor roadway inundation in Manitou Springs. A month later in August 2025, widespread rainfall totaling 1.5 to 3 inches produced minor flash flooding and rapid, within-bank rises in area streams throughout the county.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should note that flood insurance claims and impacts extend well beyond designated high-risk areas. Properties located in FEMA Zone X recorded 469 claims with an average water depth of 14 inches and an average payout of $7,970, while Zone A properties recorded 320 claims with an average water depth of 6 inches and an average payout of $24,346. Properties in unknown zones, shaded Zone X, and Zone D accounted for a combined 65 claims. Residents outside traditional high-risk flood zones should pay close attention to local drainage and heavy precipitation risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of El Paso County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
327 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 2013, with 207 claims and $3.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
45 NOAA storm reports from El Paso County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 8, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Sep 11, 2013 |
| Black Forest Fire | Jun 11, 2013 |
| Black Forest Wildfire | Jun 11, 2013 |
| Waldo Canyon Fire | Jun 23, 2012 |
| High Park And Waldo Canyon Wildfires | Jun 9, 2012 |
| Snow | Dec 18, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
201 since 1996: 182 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. Heavy rainfall over south Colorado Springs and Fort Carson led to minor flash flooding in the area.
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2025. Heavy rainfall of 1.5-2 inches led to flash flooding around Monument and Black Forest.
Flash Flood · Aug 25, 2025. Widespread 1.5-3 inches of rainfall led to some minor flash flooding and quick, within bank rise of area streams throughout El Paso County.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Heavy rainfall of 1.5-2.5 inches in 30 min. led to flash flooding in Manitou Springs. Excess runoff and minor inundation of roadways occurred for most areas.
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 El Paso 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.