Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0FEMA puts Clifton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clifton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #12 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1980.
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 Clifton 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
Earthquakes
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 Clifton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clifton, and Clifton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #12 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Clifton’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Clifton has less expected damage per building than 93% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Clifton: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Clifton flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clifton, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
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: Mesa County.The storms Clifton remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Mesa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Clifton itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Mesa County has had 3 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mesa County, 2002–2020.
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 →Clifton and its neighbors
Clifton is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruitvale | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Grand Junction | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Clifton | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Clifton 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Clifton
Is Clifton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clifton has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #12 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Clifton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Clifton since 1980, $21K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Clifton 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 Mesa County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clifton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clifton’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Clifton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Clifton’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clifton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clifton’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.