31 flood insurance claims·$299,388 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 Rio Arriba 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 profile of Rio Arriba County, accounting for 43 of the last 30 years of recorded flood events and resulting in one death, compared to only two general flood events.
Monsoonal moisture surges frequently trigger these sudden inundations, as demonstrated when slow-moving thunderstorms caused flash flooding on State Highway 76 near Chimayo in August 2025, and similar monsoonal patterns produced flash flooding events in June 2024.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within FEMA Flood Zone A, which has accounted for the majority of the county's National Flood Insurance Program claims with 19 filings, an average payout of $21,889, and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Properties in Zone X and unknown zones have experienced fewer claims with lower average payouts and shallower recorded water depths of 2 inches and 1 inch, respectively.
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 5 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 2004, with 5 claims and $776 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.
30 NOAA storm reports from Rio Arriba County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| South Fork Fire, Salt Fire, And Flooding | Jun 17, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 27, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Las Conchas Fire | Jun 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Extreme Cold Temperatures | Feb 1, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 26, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Nm - Borrego Fire - 5-23-02 | May 22, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 2, 2023 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2022 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2021 | $30,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2025. Monsoon Moisture across central and eastern New Mexico along with a backdoor front entering northeast NM resulted in the development of scattered shower and thunderstorm activity across these portions of the state. A slow moving thunderstorm resulted in flash flooding on State Highway 76 near Chimayo. Severe thunderstorms resulted in damaging wind gusts of up to 70 mph across Union and Harding County. Finally, mid…
Flash Flood · Jul 17, 2025. Abundant monsoonal moisture resulted in scattered to numerous afternoon thunderstorms developing over the high terrain of NM before moving over surrounding lower elevations during the late afternoon and evening hours of July 16th and 17th. While a few thunderstorms became severe and produced large hail in a few spots of northeastern NM on the 16th, flash flooding over the Ruidoso area burn scars was the main sourc…
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2024. A burst of monsoon moisture surged into eastern NM the morning of June 19th and surged through the gaps of the central mountain chain bringing high wind gusts of up to 58 miles per hour to parts of the Albuquerque metro that afternoon and evening. The strong east canyon wind during the evening resulted in a downed tree in the northeast heights of Albuquerque. The monsoon moisture surged through western NM and to t…
Flood · May 2, 2023. Well above average snowpack and warm temperatures led to rapid snowmelt and river rises on many northern NM river basins. Overbank flooding was reported at and downstream of the junction between the Rio Ojo Caliente and Rio Chama between May 5th and May 10th. Ten properties had water up to homes and structures. Yards, wells, and septic systems were flooded out. There were no reports of casualties or fatalities or…
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 Rio Arriba 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.