53 flood insurance claims·$958,495 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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe County, accounting for 92 recorded events and four deaths over the last 30 years compared to five standard flood events. Monsoon moisture frequently drives these occurrences, as demonstrated by heavy rainfall on September 5, 2025, which caused flash flooding across the Pojoaque Pueblo between Santa Fe and Espanola, and an earlier monsoon moisture event spanning June 22 through June 24, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are distributed across multiple zones. Zone X properties account for 25 claims with an average payout of $28,429 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches, while Zone A properties account for 24 claims with an average payout of $42,041 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Additional claims are recorded in Zone X unshaded, Zone X shaded, and unknown zones.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in both designated Special Flood Hazard Areas like Zone A and moderate-to-low risk areas like Zone X, given that both zones have accumulated significant claim histories and notable recorded water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Santa Fe County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
27 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 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 2018, with 9 claims and $496,667 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.
55 NOAA storm reports from Santa Fe County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Mexico flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 15, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Nm - Borrego Fire - 5-23-02 | May 22, 2002 |
| Severe Fire Threats | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Forest Fire | May 5, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | Jun 23, 1979 |
| Severe Storms, Snow Melt & Flooding | May 11, 1973 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
97 since 1996: 92 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A disturbance rotating north around the upper high circulation centered over south central U.S. followed by a backdoor front entering eastern New Mexico in the middle of the week increased monsoon moisture and shower and thunderstorm coverage across the state. Daily slow moving thunderstorms on the Ruidoso burn scars during the afternoon hours resulted in several occurrences flash flooding on and downstream of the…
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 poles and arcing powerli…
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2025. A surge in monsoon moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Lorena in the eastern Pacific combined with disturbances embedded in the northwest flow aloft resulting in a higher coverage of showers and thunderstorms across northern and central NM. Thunderstorms during the evening hours on September 5th resulted in flash flooding across the Pojoaque Pueblo between Santa Fe and Espanola.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2024. A favorable placement of the monsoon high over NM and then shifting to the west allowed for an influx of moisture and instability over the state of NM. Daily rounds of of showers and storms starting over the higher terrain midday spreading to lower elevation in the evening before slowly dissipating overnight each day. There were several reports of flash flooding over portions of central NM and a few severe thunder…
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 Santa Fe 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.