20 flood insurance claims·$30,534 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 McKinley 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in McKinley County, New Mexico. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 62 flash flood events resulting in 12 deaths, compared to just 1 general flood event.
Recent historic events illustrate this hazard. In August 2022, an active monsoon season left soils saturated, creating conditions ripe for flash flooding. Later, a late-season monsoon burst driven by a Pacific troughing pattern brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding to locations including the Navajo Nation west of Crownpoint in September 2025.
Federal insurance claims data shows payouts across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas. Properties in Zone X recorded 8 claims with an average payout of $11,402 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Zone A properties experienced 5 claims averaging $5,979 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Shaded Zone X properties recorded 4 claims averaging $884 with an average water depth of 2 inches, while unshaded Zone X saw 2 claims with $0 average payouts and 0 inches of average water depth. An additional claim in an unknown zone averaged $310 with 0 inches of recorded water depth. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in both high-risk zones like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk zones like Zone X where past claims have occurred.
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 2 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 1990, with 4 claims and $9,370 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.
38 NOAA storm reports from McKinley County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 25, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 26, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Fire Threats | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Forest Fire | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Jan 5, 1993 |
| Severe Storms, Snow Melt & Flooding | May 11, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
63 since 1996: 62 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2022 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2022 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 28, 2025. A troughing pattern from the Pacific brought in a late season monsoon burst of moisture to the Desert Southwest. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over portions of the state with more locally heavy rainfall events occurring from the abundant monsoon moisture. Flash flooding was observed in several locations ranging from near El Malpais south of Grants, NM, in Navajo Nation west of Crownpoint, and in Tijeras…
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2025. A troughing pattern from the Pacific brought in a late season monsoon burst of moisture to the Desert Southwest. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over portions of the state with more locally heavy rainfall events occurring from the abundant monsoon moisture. Flash flooding was observed in several locations ranging from near El Malpais south of Grants, NM, in Navajo Nation west of Crownpoint, and in Tijeras…
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2022. An abundant amount of moisture in the atmosphere led to another very active monsoon day for northern and central New Mexico on July 29, 2022. Thunderstorms developed early in the day across the high terrain areas before becoming more widespread as the day progressed. Heavy rain was common with these thunderstorms, especially on the Calf Canyon burn scar which reported more burn scar flash flooding and debris flow.…
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2022. As an area of high pressure remained to the east of New Mexico, an abundant amount of moisture also stayed in place across the desert southwest on July 27, 2022. This led to yet another very active monsoon day across much of northern and central New Mexico. Thunderstorms developed early in the day and wasted no time in impacted the Calf Canyon burn scar. The northern portion of the burn scar was hit hard again, es…
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 McKinley 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.