5 flood insurance claims·$1,116 paid·1 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 Huerfano 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 risk profile in Huerfano County, accounting for 61 of the last 30 years' 73 recorded flood events, compared to 12 standard floods.
Recent weather patterns illustrate this hazard. On June 9, 2024, a stalled boundary over the plains produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding across Huerfano and Pueblo Counties. Earlier, on July 11, 2022, rainfall amounts approaching two inches in a short timeframe caused flash flooding and debris flows across multiple burn scars. Heavy
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 1 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 2005, with 1 claims and $1,116 paid, the year of Hurricane Katrina Evacuation.
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.
29 NOAA storm reports from Huerfano County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Spring Creek Fire | Jun 28, 2018 |
| East Peak Fire | Jun 19, 2013 |
| Snow | Dec 28, 2006 |
| Mauricio Canyon Fire | Jan 7, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Mar 17, 2003 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Drought | Jan 29, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
73 since 1996: 61 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2024. A boundary stalled out over the plains and resulted in the development of strong storms. Heavy rainfall from thunderstorms produced some flash flooding in Huerfano and Pueblo Counties. Isolated stronger storms (sub-severe) also developed further west over Saguache County, resulting in some hail (below severe criteria) and a brief landspout was also reported.
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2022. Strongest thunderstorm development with the heaviest rainfall on this day was focused over and near the higher terrain. Highest rainfall amounts approaching two inches in a short amount of time caused flash flooding and debris flows across multiple burn scars.
Flash Flood · Aug 7, 2022. Numerous heavy rains and severe thunderstorms developed all across the region during the afternoon and evening of August 7th. Numerous flash floods, mud and debris slides, and damaging winds and hail were all reported as storms moved from the central mountains onto the eastern CO plains.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2021. The combination of the monsoon plume and moist low level upslope flow allowed for thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and flash flooding to occur on this day across the region. The highest concern for flash flooding was over the mountains and I-25 corridor region, but later in the evening, additional flash flooding occurred along and south of Highway 50.
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 Huerfano 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.