780 flood insurance claims·$6.3M paid·2 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 El Paso County, Texas. 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 historical flood profile of El Paso County, TX, supported by 145 flash flood events and 6 deaths recorded over the last 30 years compared to only 5 general flood events.
Recent events illustrate this pattern, such as July 2025 storms that produced rapid 1 to 2-inch rainfall totals causing flash flooding around downtown and northeast El Paso, as well as slow-moving storms in July 2025 that brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding to the Anthony and Socorro areas.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of National Flood Insurance Program claims with 551 filings averaging $15,292 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Properties in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X also warrant close attention, recording average water depths of 21 inches and average payouts of $25,266 and $19,456 respectively, demonstrating that significant flood risks exist outside of traditional high-risk zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of El Paso County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
675 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 10 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 2006, with 256 claims and $1.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms and 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.
30 NOAA storm reports from El Paso County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Texas flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Ike | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Hurricane Gustav | Aug 27, 2008 |
| Wildfires | Mar 14, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 27, 2006 |
| Extreme Wildfire Threat | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Rita | Sep 23, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
150 since 1996: 145 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2025. An upper high over the Permian Basin brought deep monsoonal moisture into far west Texas. Early evening thunderstorms developed over the Fabens area and brought over 2 inches of rain and flash flooding to the area.
Flash Flood · Sep 28, 2025. A late season monsoonal moisture push into the Rio Grande Valley combined with an upper trough moving northeast through the Four Corners region brought heavy rain and flash flooding to the Hueco Tanks area.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2025. A large upper high over the lower Mississippi Valley setup a deep southeast flow off the Gulf bringing above average moisture into far west Texas. Very heavy rain occurred for several hours and resulted in flash flooding over parts of Hudspeth and far northeastern El Paso counties.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2025. Several storms trained over downtown and central El Paso which brought upwards of an inch and a half of rain to the area. Significant flash flooding was reported with several roads closed, walls knocked over and a sinkhole formed.
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 El Paso 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.