20 flood insurance claims·$19,603 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 Montezuma 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.
A balanced mix of riverine flooding and flash flooding from slow-moving summer thunderstorms shapes the flood risk in Montezuma County, CO, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 11 flood events and 11 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts are well-documented: in April 2023, above-normal temperatures accelerated near-record snowpack melt, producing high river flows that compromised county roads and bridges. Later that summer, abundant monsoon moisture and the remnants of Tropical Storm Harold brought heavy rain, slow-moving storms, and localized flooding in August 2023.
Federal insurance claims data reflect this varied exposure across different zones. Properties located in FEMA Zone A have accounted for the majority of historical claims with 14 filings, averaging an $8,423 payout with an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties logged 4 claims with an average payout of $2,487 and an average recorded water depth of 99 inches, alongside 2 claims in zones of unknown designation averaging $270 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents near rivers, drainages, and mapped high-risk zones should pay the closest attention to these localized flood and snowmelt hazards.
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 54 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 2019, with 10 claims and $745 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Montezuma County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
8 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Weber Fire | Jun 23, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| 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.
22 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 24, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Aug 24, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Aug 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 9, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Aug 15, 2022 | $100 |
| Flood | Aug 15, 2022 | $250 |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 24, 2023. Remnants from Tropical Storm Harold lifted across the Desert Southwest. This, combined with already abundant subtropical moisture, resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms across western Colorado. Storms were slow moving and produced heavy rain. As a result of the heavy rain, some flooding and debris flows occurred in portions of Gunnison, Garfield, Mesa, and Montezuma counties.
Flood · Mar 14, 2023. Heavy rain on snow resulted in rapid runoff across portions of southwest Colorado. This led to flooding in portions of Montezuma County when the combination of snowmelt and rain led to the failure of a culvert. Portions of Highway 184 closed due to the flooding.
Flood · Aug 14, 2023. Abundant monsoon moisture remained across Western Colorado. This led to another round of showers and thunderstorms across much of the region. Storms were slow moving and produced heavy rain. As a result of the heavy rain, some flooding occurred in portions of Montrose and Montezuma counties.
Flood · Apr 9, 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.
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 Montezuma 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.