9 flood insurance claims·$114,115 paid·5 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 Grant 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 slow-moving summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Grant County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 64 flash flood events resulting in two deaths, compared to only 5 general flood events. Monsoonal moisture combined with upper-level troughs frequently triggers heavy rainfall, particularly impacting burn scars and mountainous areas. Recent NOAA records document flash flooding events on July 2, 2025, and September 25, 2025, caused by heavy rain over the Trout burn scar and the Gila region.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims spanning multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 5 claims with an average payout of $24,881 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $20,879 and an average water depth of 62 inches. Zone X unshaded recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $22,595 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Property owners situated near burn scars, mountainous terrain, and designated flood zones should pay the closest attention to this heavy-rain and flash-flood hazard.
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 41 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 2006, with 2 claims and $49,761 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Grant County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Trout Fire | Jun 16, 2025 |
| Whitewater-baldy Fire Complex | May 23, 2012 |
| Quail Ridge Fire | Mar 7, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 26, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Fire Threats | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jan 5, 1993 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jan 18, 1985 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
69 since 1996: 64 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Aug 22, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Aug 21, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 25, 2025. An upper trough was moving through the Great Basin region with some weak convergence setup over the Rio Grande Valley which contributed to severe thunderstorm development and flash flooding. Storms also developed over the Gila region which brought heavy rain to the Trout burn scar resulting in some flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2025. A deep southeast flow brought plenty of moisture into the region. Storms formed over area mountains and along a mid-level convergence area along the Rio Grande Valley which brought heavy rain and flash flooding to Grant and Sierra counties.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. A deep southerly flow across New Mexico ahead of an upper trough over the southwestern U.S. brought heavy rain to the Gila region and the Trout burn scar.
Flash Flood · Jul 2, 2025. South to southeast flow at the surface combined with weak southerly flow aloft ahead of a west coast trough brought plenty of moisture into the Borderland with slow storm motion. The heavy rain brought flash flooding to the recent Trout burn scar as well as along Highway 180 northwest of Deming. An isolated severe thunderstorm brought wind damage to the Truth or Consequences area.
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 Grant 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.