8 flood insurance claims·$13,050 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 Colfax 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 risk in Colfax County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 34 flash flood events and 2 general flood events, resulting in 1 fatality. Monsoon moisture, upper-level disturbances, and backdoor fronts frequently interact with the local terrain to produce heavy rainfall.
Recent NOAA storm narratives illustrate these seasonal patterns. On August 16, 2022, increased moisture, upslope flow, and saturated soils from an active monsoon season led to flash flooding across northeast New Mexico. Heavy rainfall also produced flash flooding along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on July 21, 2023, driven by northwest flow and abundant low-level moisture.
Federal insurance claims data reflect impacts across different zones. In Special Flood Hazard Area Zone A, 5 claims recorded an average of 5 inches of water depth with an average payout of $762. In Zone X, 2 claims recorded an average of 2 inches of water depth with an average payout of $6,144. One claim was recorded in an unknown zone with $0 payout and 0 inches of recorded water depth. Properties located in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to this flood risk.
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 2008, with 2 claims and $12,288 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Colfax County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Cook's Peak Fire | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Wildfires, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, And Debris Flows | Apr 5, 2022 |
| Ute Park Fire | May 31, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 15, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 23, 2013 |
| Track Fire | Jun 12, 2011 |
| Rivera Mesa Fire | Jun 18, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 34 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2022 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2022 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 1, 2025. The monsoon high was centered across southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico on August 1st and 2nd. Northwest flow around the upper high circulation along with embedded disturbances in this flow resulted in the development of showers and thunderstorms across parts of central and eastern New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms resulted in some flash flooding on and downstream of the Ruid…
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2023. Northwest flow rounding the northeastern periphery of an upper high over AZ combined with abundant low-level moisture over the high plains of eastern NM to produce severe weather along and east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on July 21st and 22nd. Large hail and severe winds were observed from these scattered storm cells. Heavy rainfall also produced flash flooding on the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar on…
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2023. A backdoor front brought moist easterly upslope flow into northeastern NM on June 11th and June 12th. Discrete supercells fired up along the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains during the early afternoon hours of June 11th dropping large to destructive hail as they translated east towards the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. More storms developed off the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains around…
Flash Flood · Aug 16, 2022. The upper-level high pressure system was located over the Great Basin area on August 16, 2022, while a backdoor front moved into eastern New Mexico before stalling along the east slopes of the central mountain chain. Increased moisture and favorable upslope flow supported increasing thunderstorm coverage across much of northeast New Mexico. With already saturated soils from an active monsoon season, the stage was…
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 Colfax 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.