31 flood insurance claims·$235,562 paid·2 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 Pitkin 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 and high-flow river events dominate the flood history of Pitkin County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 25 flash floods and 7 floods over the last 30 years, including one flood-related fatality. Spring events are often driven by accelerated snowmelt from near-record snowpacks, such as in May 2023 when high and fast flows compromised local trails and damaged roads. Another snowmelt event on the Roaring Fork River in May 2023 resulted in a drowning after an individual fell into the water. Winter conditions also pose risks, as demonstrated in February 2022 when an ice jam on the Roaring Fork River caused minor flooding.
Federal Insurance claims data shows impacts across multiple zones. Zone X leads with 16 claims averaging $9,416 with an average recorded water depth of 22 inches. Zone A accounts for 7 claims with a higher average payout of $53,685 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Additionally, 7 claims occurred in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $2,615 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while 1 claim in Zone X_UNSHADED averaged $750 with an average recorded water depth of 40 inches. Homeowners and real estate professionals near rivers, drainages, and mapped flood zones should pay the closest attention to these recurring snowmelt and ice-jam 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 19 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 1995, with 9 claims and $161,804 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Pitkin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
6 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding | Jul 27, 1984 |
| Drought | Jan 29, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 29, 2023 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | May 5, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Jun 2, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 13, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 11, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 1, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 22, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 29, 2023. Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on the Roaring Fork River. One such area was between Wingo and Snowmass, Colorado, where an individual drowned after accidentally falling into the river.
Flood · May 5, 2023. Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on drainages in Pitkin and Gunnison counties. As a result, flooding compromised various trails in Pitkin County as well as a ranch along East River in Gunnison County.
Flood · Jun 2, 2023. Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures and precipitation produced high and fast flow on drainages in several west-central counties. As a result, flooding led to some damage on some roads in Pitkin County.
Flash Flood · Jan 13, 2022. A period of cold temperatures caused an ice jam to form on the Roaring Fork River in portions of Pitkin County. Minor flooding occurred along the river with elevated river flows peaking during the early to mid afternoon hours.
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 Pitkin 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.