Clifton’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Clifton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 96 claims here since 1978. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Clifton’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Clifton
Disasters that paid out in Clifton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Clifton) and its biggest flood years.
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$556K to the Town of Clifton for repairs
- 198375 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 197820 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Greenlee County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Clifton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clifton archive →How exposed is Clifton?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 95% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and wildfires.
Rated higher than 395 of the 467 Arizona towns we cover.
Clifton is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Clifton faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Wildfire
Lightning
Heat waves
Does Clifton flood? Sometimes: 96 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clifton, from FEMA’s records.
Clifton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Greenlee County.Get ready for what Clifton actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- When thunder roars, go indoors.
- Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.
- Unplug electronics before the storm.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Clifton and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | Very high | inland flooding | 96 |
| Morenci | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in December–February
The month each of Greenlee County’s 10 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Clifton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Clifton.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clifton.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.