10 flood insurance claims·$12,025 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 Teller 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 Teller County, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 25 flash flood events over the last 30 years. These incidents are driven by heavy localized rainfall from seasonal storms. For example, a heavy storm produced flash flooding in southwest Teller County in August 2017, and high rainfall rates caused flash flooding west of Divide on US Highway 24 in August 2014.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate historical claims across different zones with varying impacts. Zone X accounts for six claims with an average payout of $4,798 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone A accounts for three claims with an average payout of $1,215 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. An additional claim is categorized as Zone UNKNOWN with a $0 payout and 0 inches of recorded water depth.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located in both mapped moderate-to-low risk areas and special flood hazard areas, as historical claims and flash flood events demonstrate that water accumulation occurs across multiple zones during intense summer thunderstorms.
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 4 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 2004, with 2 claims and $1,749 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 Teller County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 8, 2023 |
| Chateau Fire | Jun 30, 2018 |
| High Park And Waldo Canyon Wildfires | Jun 9, 2012 |
| Nash Ranch Fire | Jun 24, 2008 |
| Snow | Dec 18, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Snow | Mar 17, 2003 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 25 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2013 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2022. Continued stream of moisture across the region produced numerous pockets of heavy rain leading to flash flooding, mainly in Fremont County.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2017. A few severe storms produced damaging wind gusts and flash floods.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2017. A thunderstorm produced heavy rain and flash flooding in southwest Teller County. Another severe storm produced wind damage south of the Pueblo Resevoir. In addition lightning struck a house in southwest Colorado Springs.
Flash Flood · Jun 11, 2015. Numerous storms, some severe, produced hail up to 3 inches in diameter and some flash flooding across the I-25 corridor.
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 Teller 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.