24 flood insurance claims·$51,076 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 Taos 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.
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 1979, with 13 claims and $41,977 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding.
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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Taos 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, Flooding, And Mudslides | Sep 9, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Extreme Cold Temperatures | Feb 1, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 26, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| 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.
12 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2022 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2022 | $70,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2021 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2021 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 12, 2022. As the upper-level high pressure built over the Great Plains on August 12, 2022, much drier air pushed into eastern and central New Mexico. This led to a downtrend in thunderstorm coverage across much of the area while the monsoonal moisture plume focued across western New Mexico kept conditions relatively more active there. Despite this drier air, isolated thunderstorms were still able to form across the northern…
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2021. With an area of high pressure centered over the Four Corners region, persistent northeasterly flow combined with sufficient low-level moisture supported another active monsoon day across northern and central New Mexico. Thunderstorm activity initiated over the northern high terrain by early afternoon, and thunderstorms intensified as the afternoon progressed as they tracked in a general southeasterly direction. On…
Flash Flood · Aug 15, 2021. An abundant amount of moisture in place over northern and central New Mexico led to another active monsoon day on August 15, 2021. With southerly flow at the surface and northerly flow aloft, shear profiles were more supportive for stronger thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Thunderstorms initially formed over the high terrain of Colorado and New Mexico by early afternoon before propagating southward through the ev…
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2018. The center of upper level high pressure shifted farther west into Arizona on August 9th and allowed weaker steering flow to become more north to south across New Mexico. Deep moisture and strong instability over the state allowed numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop over the higher terrain during the early afternoon before spreading into nearby highlands and valleys through the evening. A powerful 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 Taos 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.