100 flood insurance claims·$332,050 paid·5 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 Pueblo 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 profile of Pueblo County, accounting for 103 events and 1 death over the last 30 years compared to 17 general flood events. Recent events illustrate this hazard, such as July 2025 heavy rainfall that produced 2 to 3 inches of rain, flooded roadways, and shut down parts of Interstate 25 around and northeast of Colorado City. Another event in July 2025 involved 1 to 1.5 inches of rain hitting the east side of the Oak Ridge Burn scar, triggering a debris flow and excessive surface runoff northwest of Beulah.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows active payout history across multiple zones. Zone A policies recorded 29 claims with an average payout of $5,155 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X policies also recorded 29 claims, with an average payout of $11,578 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Shaded Zone X logged 15 claims averaging $3,145 with an average water depth of 2 inches, while unshaded Zone X recorded 13 claims averaging $1,906 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Properties with unknown zones accounted for 14 claims averaging $5,131 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within high-risk Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X where claims indicate significant average payout amounts despite lower average water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
49% of Pueblo County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
57 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 3 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 1980, with 13 claims and $34,146 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Pueblo County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Junkins Fire | Oct 17, 2016 |
| Beulah Hill Fire | Oct 4, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 4, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Sep 11, 2013 |
| Wetmore Fire | Oct 23, 2012 |
| Snow | Dec 28, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Mason Fire | Jul 8, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
120 since 1996: 103 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2025. Heavy rainfall led to minor flash flooding on the southside of Pueblo and just east of Pueblo Reservoir.
Flash Flood · Jul 24, 2025. Heavy rainfall of 2-3 inches led to flash flooding on the southside of Pueblo.
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2025. Heavy rainfall of 1-1.5 inches hit the east side of the Oak Ridge Burn scar and triggered a debris flow and excessive surface runoff a few miles northwest of Beulah.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. Heavy rainfall of 2-3 inches led to flooded roadways and parts of I-25 shutdown around and a few miles northeast of Colorado City.
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 Pueblo 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.