3 flood insurance claims·$27,828 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 Hidalgo 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 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.
1 NOAA storm reports from Hidalgo County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 18, 1983 |
| Flooding | Jan 29, 1979 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Nov 20, 1972 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
8 since 1996: 8 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2007 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2006 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2002 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 7, 2002 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2025. Monsoonal moisture remained over the region with a low level convergent area setting up near the New Mexico/Arizona border region. A strong thunderstorm developed over the Lordsburg Playa and produced heavy rain and areas of blowing dust reducing visibilities to under a quarter mile.
Flash Flood · Oct 4, 2017. A deep south to southeast low level flow brought plenty of moisture into southern New Mexico. A weak disturbance aloft helped to trigger thunderstorms over the region which moved very slowly and produced locally heavy rain and flash flooding around Animas.
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2015. An upper low was located over Northern Nevada with 75kt jet across Central Arizona. Low level winds out of the southeast pumped moisture into the area with dew points in the upper 50s and lower 60s. The moisture combined with moderate instability and deep layer wind shear to produce widespread severe thunderstorms and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2013. An area of deep moisture was trapped under a large upper high which was located across much of the country. Dew points near 60 were recorded near the Arizona-New Mexico border region. Sufficient instability combined with daytime heating to produce very heavy rain across the Lordsburg 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 Hidalgo 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.