Natural hazards · Raton

Raton, NM natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Raton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Raton?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Raton to be higher than in 64% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and wildfires.

Inland flooding57%Wildfire23%Lightning9%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Raton faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Lightning

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Raton flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Raton, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2006

$762paid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20062026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Raton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Colfax County.

Disasters that hit Raton

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Raton itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Raton.

Brought FEMA money into RatonDeclared for Colfax County only

2022

Wildfires, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris Flows

70 households applied for aid

Colfax County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Raton is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Raton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Raton. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.