10 flood insurance claims·$30,868 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 Los Alamos 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.
The worst year was 2001, with 7 claims and $30,868 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Los Alamos County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 2000, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Wildfires, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, And Debris Flows | Apr 5, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Flooding | Jun 22, 2012 |
| Flooding | Aug 19, 2011 |
| Las Conchas Fire | Jun 26, 2011 |
| 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.
13 since 1996: 13 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2012 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2012 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2011 | $6.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2008 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2001 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 12, 2013. An upper high was parked squarely over New Mexico. Overnight showers across the Gila region in southwestern NM were responsible for significant rainfall amounts across the Whitewater-Baldy burn scar. This caused some flooding with debris deposits along roads in the area. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms developed over the higher terrain then drifted over the plains and adjacent highlands. Storm motions were gen…
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2012. An upper level high pressure system shifted westward centering over portions of Utah and western Colorado. With sufficient moisture as well as instability, storms initially developed over northern portions of the state during the afternoon hours. These storms increased in coverage into the early evening with general storm motions toward the west and southwest. The thunderstorms, though not severe, did produce sign…
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2011. The first day of flash flooding over the Las Conchas burn scar was widespread as weak upper level disturbances rounded the west side of the upper high. Early in the afternoon, showers and thunderstorms developed over the central and northern portions of the burn scar. These storms generally produced 1 to 2 inches of rainfall. Later in the afternoon and early evening, even stronger and very slow moving storms dev…
Flash Flood · Aug 3, 2011. One of the most active monsoonal days occurred on August 3rd, with heavy rains noted across much of the state. However, the biggest impact came to the recently burned areas, particularly to the Las Conchas and White Fire burn scars. Minor flooding was reported across many other locations, including around Abo, Folsom, and Grants. A few storms also reported severe wind gusts in outflow boundaries, including arou…
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 Los Alamos 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.