28 flood insurance claims·$610,565 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 Cibola 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 Cibola County, accounting for 35 out of 37 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 2 general floods.
Recent NOAA storm data illustrates this recurring seasonal hazard. In June 2024, monsoon moisture surged into western New Mexico, producing severe wind gusts along Interstate 40 in Cibola County and subsequent flash flooding. Flash flooding occurred again in August 2025 on State Highway 117 in central Cibola County south of Grants due to repeated rounds of thunderstorms. Additional flash flooding was observed in September 2025 near El Malpais south of Grants and in the Navajo Nation west of Crownpoint following a late-season monsoon burst.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties mapped within high-risk Zone A face the heaviest impact, accounting for 22 claims with an average payout of $29,190 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in these designated high-risk zones, as well as properties near burn scars, washes, and low-water crossings, should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness, as moderate claims also occurred in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Cibola County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 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 6 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 2005, with 11 claims and $268,652 paid, the year of Hurricane Katrina Evacuation.
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.
23 NOAA storm reports from Cibola County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Flooding | Aug 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 25, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 26, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Fire Threats | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Forest Fire | May 5, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2022 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2022 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2021 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Aug 26, 2025. Higher moisture moved into eastern and central New Mexico behind a backdoor front resulting in a greater coverage of showers and thunderstorms across the middle Rio Grande Valley, central mountain chain, and northeast New Mexico. Repeated round of thunderstorms resulted in flash flooding on the Ruidoso area burn scars, State Highway 117 in central Cibola County south of Grants and downstream of the Hermits Peak an…
Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2024. Record levels of monsoon moisture remained in place across NM as an upper level disturbance approached from the west and pushed the upper level high over the state south into New Mexico. Showers and thunderstorms developed over the high terrain in northeastern New Mexico midday June 26th, spreading over central and eastern NM during the afternoon and evening hours. These outflow boundaries produced severe wind gus…
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2024. A burst of monsoon moisture surged into eastern NM the morning of June 19th and surged through the gaps of the central mountain chain bringing high wind gusts of up to 58 miles per hour to parts of the Albuquerque metro that afternoon and evening. The strong east canyon wind during the evening resulted in a downed tree in the northeast heights of Albuquerque. The monsoon moisture surged through western NM and to t…
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 Cibola 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.