Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0For hail, Edgewater’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Edgewater gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #75 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%), then hail (42%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1981.
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 Edgewater 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Edgewater’s grade
River and rain flooding is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Edgewater, and Edgewater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 42%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #75 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Edgewater’s residents live in 4 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, Edgewater has less expected damage per building than 53% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Edgewater: $849K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Edgewater flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Edgewater, from FEMA’s records: 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Edgewater isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Edgewater
Disasters that paid out in Edgewater itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Edgewater), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Snow$3K to the City of Edgewater for repairs
- 2003Snow$1K to the City of Edgewater for repairs
Jefferson County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Jefferson County, 2000–2024.
Old photos of Edgewater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Edgewater archive →Edgewater and its neighbors
Edgewater is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | B−more damage than 53% | hail | 93 |
| Edgewater | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Wheat Ridge | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Edgewater 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Edgewater
Is Edgewater at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Edgewater has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #75 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%) and hail (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Edgewater flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Edgewater since 1981, $61K in all, or 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Edgewater 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 Jefferson County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Edgewater?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Edgewater’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Edgewater?
By FEMA money that reached Edgewater, Snow (2006): $3K to the City of Edgewater for repairs.
Is Edgewater at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Edgewater’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Edgewater.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Edgewater’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.