67 flood insurance claims·$1.3M 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 La Plata 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 and severe weather events dominates the flood history of La Plata County, accounting for 64 of the 76 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years.
Historical events illustrate these diverse mechanisms. In May 2023, accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack produced high and fast flows that compromised The Oxbow Preserve along the Animas River. Later, in October 2025, prolonged heavy rainfall totaling 3 to 8 inches from remnants of tropical storms caused widespread flooding across the county.
NFIP claim data shows that flood losses extend beyond high-risk areas. Zone A properties recorded 28 claims with an average water depth of 44 inches and an average payout of $21,656. Meanwhile, Zone X properties experienced 23 claims with an average water depth of 10 inches and an average payout of $50,602, and Zone X_Unshaded properties recorded 10 claims with an average water depth of 4 inches and an average payout of $10,523. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay particular attention to properties located near rivers in designated high-risk zones, as well as structures in moderate-to-low risk zones where significant average payouts indicate vulnerability to localized and surface water flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of La Plata County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
39 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 17 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 2025, with 20 claims and $427,001 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from La Plata 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Valley Fire | Jun 25, 2002 |
| Missionary Ridge Fire | Jun 9, 2002 |
| Ute Pass Fire | Jun 6, 2002 |
| 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.
76 since 1996: 64 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Oct 11, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 10, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2022 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Sep 22, 2022 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2021 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2021 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2021 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2018 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Oct 11, 2025. Between October 10-14, 2025, southwest Colorado experienced prolonged periods of rain and some of the largest multiday rainfall totals on record with rainfall accumulations between 3 and 8 inches, with locally higher amounts across the San Juan Mountains. Remnants from two tropical storms supplied anomalous moisture across the region, with minimal break between events. The first round of heavy rainfall resulted in…
Flood · May 10, 2023. Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on drainages in La Plata County. As a result, flooding compromised The Oxbow Preserve along the Animas River.
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2022. Monsoon moisture advected north into the region. Residual moisture from previous days convection helped to prime the atmosphere which led to an uptick in shower and thunderstorm coverage across western Colorado. Some storms produced heavy rain which led to localized flash flooding across portions of La Plata County.
Flood · Sep 22, 2022. A line of heavier showers moved across southwest Colorado early in the morning in response to a midlevel circulation overhead. Some localized street flooding occurred across portions of La Plata County as a result.
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 La Plata 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.