5 flood insurance claims·$139,805 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 Yuma 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 Yuma County, supported by 33 recorded flash flood events compared to 13 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Recent occurrences illustrate these risks. In May 2024, a cluster of storms produced accumulating hail up to a foot deep alongside heavy rainfall, resulting in street and basement flooding in Yuma. Later that summer, in July 2022, prolonged moderate rainfall dropped close to three inches of water, causing flow over Highway 385. Another notable event occurred in July 2020, when stationary thunderstorms dropped up to six inches of rainfall centered over the Republican River Basin, causing flooding in Wray. FEMA records show limited historical National Flood Insurance Program claims across multiple zones, including two claims in Zone X-shaded with an average recorded water depth of four inches and an average payout of $1,649, one claim in Zone X-unshaded with an average water depth of one inch and a $58,780 average payout, and one claim in Zone A with a $77,727 average payout.
Property owners located near rivers, low-lying street areas, and basements vulnerable to intense summer rainfall and localized runoff should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
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 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 2020, with 2 claims and $136,507 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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Yuma County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 4, 2015 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Apr 11, 2001 |
| Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding | Jun 19, 1965 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
46 since 1996: 33 flash floods and 13 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Aug 13, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2020 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Jul 23, 2020 | $100 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2020 | $100 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 20, 2024. In the late afternoon of the 20th, a cluster of storms began to from in north central Colorado and moved east. As the evening progressed, this cluster grew into more of a line. This line of storms produced up to four inch diameter hail, accumulating hail up to a foot deep, 75 MPH wind gusts, and heavy rain. The combined effect of accumulating hail and heavy rainfall led to street and basement flooding in Yuma.
Flood · Aug 13, 2024. Thunderstorms developed across northeast Colorado resulting in quarter size hail and flooding across western Yuma county.
Flood · Jul 29, 2022. A large area of slow moving light to moderate rainfall moved through East Central Colorado during the morning into the early afternoon. A couple rounds of prolonged moderate rainfall moved over eastern Yuma County during this timeframe. Close to three inches of rainfall occurred. The rainfall caused water to flow over Highway 385 almost a half mile north of the Highway 385/36 intersection.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2020. Isolated thunderstorms developed in eastern Colorado during the late afternoon hours. One thunderstorm that moved over Yuma, CO produced 0.83 inches of heavy rain in 20 minutes causing flash flooding in town.
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 Yuma 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.