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Patagonia Arizona 1Photo: Burley Packwood · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Patagonia · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Patagonia

Patagonia isn’t graded for hazard risk: Patagonia has 946 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1983.

Flood claims
7
paid since 1983 · $31K
Flood insurance
05% off
Community discount (class 9)
By hazard

What Patagonia faces

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

River and rain flooding

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Wildfire

45%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 13% of Patagonia’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

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 Patagonia flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1983

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 3 claims1984: 2 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198319842004
19832026
7
paid claims since 1983
$31K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount05% off flood insurance

Patagonia is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Santa Cruz County.
Disasters

The storms Patagonia remembers

None of the 4 disasters declared for Santa Cruz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Patagonia itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19833 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Santa Cruz County
  2. 19842 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 20041 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PatagoniaSanta Cruz County only

Santa Cruz County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Cruz County, 2002–2002.

Were you here?

Old photos of Patagonia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Patagonia archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Patagonia faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
  • Patagonia residents get 05% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Patagonia

Does Patagonia flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Patagonia since 1983, $31K in all.

Is Patagonia in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Santa Cruz County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Patagonia?

Patagonia is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Patagonia.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Patagonia’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.