Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Ault faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ault gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #88 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1987.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Ault 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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.
What’s behind Ault’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ault, and Ault’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #88 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ault’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ault has more expected damage per building than 55% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $806K a year in losses across Ault: $433K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ault flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ault, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ault isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Weld County.The storms Ault remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Weld County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ault itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Heavy Rain, Flash Floods, Flooding, Mudslides, declared for Weld County
Weld County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ault after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ault archive →Get ready for what Ault faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Ault
Is Ault at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ault has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #88 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (14%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ault flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Ault since 1987, $2K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ault 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 Weld County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ault?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ault’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ault at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Ault’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ault.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ault’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.