Enter any address in San Miguel County, New Mexico to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in San Miguel County, NM. Between 1993 and 2023, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 65 flash flood events, resulting in 3 fatalities, compared to 5 general flood events. Recent events illustrate these risks: in May 2025, a rain-on-snow event caused flooding across a large section of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, impacting areas from Mora to Mineral Hill. Also in May 2025, monsoonal moisture led to flash flooding over burn scars in the Ruidoso area, prompting swift water rescues and evacuations.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data from San Miguel County shows that properties in Zone X have experienced the most claims (87), with an average payout of $6,869 and an average water depth of 4.8 feet. Claims in Zone A were fewer (25), with a lower average payout of $3,839 and an average water depth of 4.2 feet. Properties in Zone X_SHADED and Zone X_UNSHADED have had minimal claims. Homeowners, particularly those in Zone X and Zone A, should pay close attention to flood risk information.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
51 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
San Miguel County, New Mexico has recorded 70 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 65 flash floods and 5 river or area floods. The county has received 21 federal disaster declarations, 4 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 |
| Calf Canyon Fire | Fire | Apr 20, 2022 |
| Hermit's Peak Fire | Fire | Apr 12, 2022 |
| 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 And Flooding | Severe Storm | Sep 15, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jul 27, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Flood | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Tres Lagunas Fire | Fire | May 30, 2013 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 8, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 5, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 1.00M |
| Flash Flood | Oct 20, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — May 31, 2025
Thunderstorms developed over the central portion of the 2022 Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar in the early afternoon of May 31st. One of these storms produced heavy rain over upper portions of the Gallinas and Sapello Rivers. An estimated 1 to 2 inches of rainfall produced flash flooding within these drainages that overtopped low water crossings that reached down the Gallinas Creek to areas ...
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 scar...
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 — Jun 30, 2024
A burst of record level monsoonal moisture flowed into NM coupled with a backdoor frontal boundary moving through eastern NM. This yielded scattered to numerous afternoon thunderstorms developing over the high terrain of central and western NM on June 29th. One batch developed directly over the new South Fork burn scar along the Lincoln and Otero County line just west of Ruidoso. This storm exp...
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 San Miguel 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 San Miguel 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.