132 flood insurance claims·$8.4M 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 Chaves County, New Mexico. 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 Chaves County, with NOAA records showing 60 flash flood events and 6 deaths alongside 17 standard flood events over the last 30 years. Monsoonal moisture and backdoor fronts frequently drive heavy rainfall, as occurred in June 2025 when a moisture plume produced severe storms and heavy rains around Roswell, and in August 2025 when 2 to 3 inches of rain caused flash flooding that temporarily closed State Road 2 and Jackson Road near Lake Arthur.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend beyond designated high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A have accumulated 84 claims with an average water depth of 15 inches and an average payout of $97,717. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X have recorded 41 claims with an average water depth of 12 inches and an average payout of $91,790.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in both Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risks, as both zones have experienced significant claims and substantial average recorded water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
1% of Chaves County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
86 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 13 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 2024, with 82 claims and $8.0M paid, the year of Severe Storm and Flooding.
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.
56 NOAA storm reports from Chaves County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 1997, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides | Jun 23, 2025 |
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Oct 19, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Fire Threats | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Forest Fire | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 22, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
77 since 1996: 60 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2025 | $30,000 |
| Flood | Aug 31, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Oct 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 19, 2024 | $10.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2025. A backdoor front pushing south through eastern New Mexico resulted in the development of showers and thunderstorms across this part of the state during the evening and overnight hours on August 30th into August 31st. 2 to 3 inches of rain from thunderstorms during the early morning hours of August 31st resulted in flash flooding on the normally dry Walnut Arroyo just south of Lake Arthur. Floodwaters covered State…
Flash Flood · Jul 30, 2025. A disturbance rotating north around the upper high circulation centered over south central U.S. followed by a backdoor front entering eastern New Mexico in the middle of the week increased monsoon moisture and shower and thunderstorm coverage across the state. Daily slow moving thunderstorms on the Ruidoso burn scars during the afternoon hours resulted in several occurrences flash flooding on and downstream of the…
Flash Flood · Sep 28, 2025. A troughing pattern from the Pacific brought in a late season monsoon burst of moisture to the Desert Southwest. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over portions of the state with more locally heavy rainfall events occurring from the abundant monsoon moisture. Flash flooding was observed in several locations ranging from near El Malpais south of Grants, NM, in Navajo Nation west of Crownpoint, and in Tijeras…
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2025. An early season plume of monsoon moisture advected northward into New Mexico from June 22nd through the 24th bringing several days of flash flooding and severe weather across portions of northern and central NM. June 22nd in particular saw severe thunderstorms produce numerous severe wind gusts of 60 mph or stronger across eastern NM from Roswell to Nara Visa with reports of downed utility poles and arcing powerli…
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 Chaves 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.