Enter any address in Mora County, New Mexico to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Mora County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 42 flash flood events, compared to 3 general flood events. Recent examples include flash flooding north of Cleveland and near Mora in August 2025 following heavy rains, and flooding across the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in May 2025 due to a rain-on-snow event combined with rapid snowmelt.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the highest average payouts, with 17 claims averaging $14,625. While Zone X has the most claims (32), the average payout was significantly lower at $3,706. Residents in areas designated as Zone A, and those in Zone X_Unshaded, should pay particular attention to flood risk information.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
42 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Mora County, New Mexico has recorded 45 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 42 flash floods and 3 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2023)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Las Tusas Fire | Fire | May 10, 2023 |
| Wildfires, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, And Debris Flows | Fire | Apr 5, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Flood | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Jul 25, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 26, 2006 |
| Rivera Mesa Fire | Fire | Jun 18, 2006 |
| Ojo Feliz Fire | Fire | Apr 12, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2025 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 8, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 5, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2023 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2023 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Aug 26, 2025
Higher moisture moved into eastern and central New Mexico behind a backdoor front resulting in a greater coverage of showers and thunderstorms across the middle Rio Grande Valley, central mountain chain, and northeast New Mexico. Repeated round of thunderstorms resulted in flash flooding on the Ruidoso area burn scars, State Highway 117 in central Cibola County south of Grants and downstream of...
Flash Flood — Jun 24, 2025
An early season plume of monsoon moisture advected northward into New Mexico from June 22nd through the 24th bringing several days of flash flooding and severe weather across portions of northern and central NM. June 22nd in particular saw severe thunderstorms produce numerous severe wind gusts of 60 mph or stronger across eastern NM from Roswell to Nara Visa with reports of downed utility pole...
Flood — May 8, 2025
A late season winter storm event from May 4th through the 6th dumped two to three feet of snow across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This event was followed by a rain on snow event from May 5th through the 8th in which flooding was experienced across a large section of the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from areas around Mora, to Las Vegas, to Mineral Hill. A fast warmup in temp...
Flood — May 5, 2025
Abundant moisture pushed east to west across NM behind a strong cold front ahead of a strong upper level low approaching from AZ. The abundant moisture and favorable weather setup allowed for multiple days of strong to severe thunderstorms to develop across northern and central NM from May 4th through the 6th. Alongside all of this was unseasonably cold weather at higher elevations of the north...
Flash Flood — Jul 22, 2024
The monsoon high over northern Arizona on July 19th continued backing west to over the Great Basin July 20th and 21st in response to upper level troughing over the central U.S. The upper level trough over the central U.S. helped bring a backdoor front through eastern NM early on July 20th. In between the two synoptic features, upper level disturbances travelled south through New Mexico. This re...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Mora County, New Mexico:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Mora County, New Mexico that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.