11 flood insurance claims·$32,634 paid
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 Quay 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Quay County, NM, supported by 23 recorded flash flood events over the last 30 years. Storms moving across the eastern plains are driven by seasonal moisture and regional weather systems, as seen during widespread heavy rainfall events in October 2017, July 2021, and late May 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones, including 9 claims in Zone A with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch and an average payout of $5,512. Additionally, 2 claims were recorded in unshaded Zone X with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches and an average payout of $5,075.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as properties situated in unshaded Zone X areas where localized water accumulation can occur during intense convective storms.
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 1996, with 2 claims and $4,969 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Quay County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
7 federal disaster declarations since 1977.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Fire Threats | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 22, 1997 |
| Drought | Mar 2, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 23 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2023 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 5, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2010 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 26, 2023. Several consecutive days of significant severe weather impacted eastern New Mexico from May 24-26, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the dryline and east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on May 23rd. Storms tracked east and southeast across the eastern plains of New Mexico. Extensive severe weather was reported when these storms encountered greater moisture and lift closer to the Texas border…
Flash Flood · May 25, 2023. Several consecutive days of significant severe weather impacted eastern New Mexico from May 24-26, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed along the dryline and east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on May 23rd. Storms tracked east and southeast across the eastern plains of New Mexico. Extensive severe weather was reported when these storms encountered greater moisture and lift closer to the Texas border…
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2021. Abundant moisture remained over New Mexico on July 17, 2021, as evident by precipitable water values in the 90th percentile. Despite an area of high pressure over the state, it was a very active day for northern and central New Mexico with widespread showers and thunderstorms. The most intense convection of the day came late in the evening as a weak disturbance rounded the high pressure and interacted with the ric…
Flash Flood · Oct 5, 2017. An upper level low pressure system developed over the Great Basin during the first week of October and delivered another round of widespread showers and thunderstorms to New Mexico. This weather pattern was similar to the pattern that impacted the area with severe storms and flooding at the end of September. Saturated soils over much of central and eastern New Mexico from late September exacerbated the flash flood…
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 Quay 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.