51 flood insurance claims·$332,647 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 Eddy 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 severe weather events dominates the flood risk profile in Eddy County, NM. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 217 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths, alongside 16 general flood events.
Recent occurrences illustrate this pattern. On September 13, 2025, a nearby trough and a moist airmass produced lines of showers and thunderstorms that moved across Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. Diurnal destabilization strengthened these storms in the afternoon, while additional thunderstorms developed behind the line in higher terrain, generating multiple flash flooding reports across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in higher-risk zones experience the most severe impacts. Zone A properties account for the highest volume and severity with 35 claims, averaging an 11,498 dollar payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of 6,432 dollars and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. An additional 7 claims were recorded in Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of 8,763 dollars and an average water depth of 0 inches, while 1 claim in Zone X_UNSHADED averaged a 1,948 dollar payout with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A and Zone X where historical claims and water depths are concentrated.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
3% of Eddy County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
36 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 5 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 18 claims and $136,980 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
61 NOAA storm reports from Eddy County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1984, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 15, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Southeast New Mexico Fire Complex | Jan 1, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 2, 2004 |
| 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.
233 since 1996: 217 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 2, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Sep 28, 2025. A trough to the west, coupled with the effects of moist upslope flow, helped trigger scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms across far West Texas and Southeast New Mexico throughout the day on September 28th. While no severe weather was reported, ample moisture and terrain effects resulted in at least one instance of flash flooding in the Davis Mountains and one instance of flooding due to runoff near Car…
Flash Flood · Apr 26, 2025. It was another day of severe weather, caused by a broad trough over the western United States with a dryline near the higher elevations of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Numerous splitting supercells impacted portions of the Trans Pecos into Southeast New Mexico. Additional overnight and morning thunderstorms also produced localized flash flooding and severe hail.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 2025. A continued monsoonal weather pattern resulted in scattered, slow-moving thunderstorms across the region. Localized flash flooding was reported in low-lying areas of I-10 and within normally dry draws.
Flash Flood · Sep 13, 2025. A nearby trough, coupled with a very moist airmass, led to the development of a line of showers and thunderstorms in New Mexico during the morning of the 13th. This line moved across Southeast New Mexico and West Texas throughout the day, strengthening in the afternoon thanks to diurnal destabilization. Additional thunderstorms developed in Southeast New Mexico behind this line in the higher terrain. Though no sev…
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 Eddy 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.