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Downtown Fort Collins ColoradoPhoto: Citycommunications at English Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fort Collins · FEMA

FEMA puts Fort Collins’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Collins gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #11 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then hail (16%). Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 61%Hail 16%Tornadoes 13%

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

less than 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#11 of 159 in Colorado
Hazard risk
A−#11 of 159
in Colorado · lower than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
37
paid since 1982 · $702K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Flood insurance
40% off
Community discount (class 2)

What stands out about Fort Collins’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.40% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Fort Collins residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 2).FEMA-funded flood-proofing40 buildings floodproofed; 1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199716 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Fort Collins 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

61%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 18% of Fort Collins’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fort Collins’ grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Collins, and Fort Collins’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fort Collins sits
Fort Collins
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #11 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fort Collins’ residents live in 49 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Hail16%Tornadoes13%Everything else9%

The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Collins has less expected damage per building than 94% of Colorado towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Fort Collins has lower expected damage per building than 91% (#37 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $44.4M, is the 270th largest of those 400.

A firm figure. It combines 49 census tracts by where Fort Collins’ residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fort Collins flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fort Collins, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 16 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 4 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 3 claims2014: 2 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199719992009
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Late summer storms3 claims · $20K
37
paid claims since 1982
$702K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount40% off flood insurance

Fort Collins is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 2) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Larimer County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
40buildings floodproofed
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fort Collins

Disasters that paid out in Fort Collins itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Fort Collins), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides82 households applied for aid$56K aid approved$458K to the City of Fort Collins for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2012High Park and Waldo Canyon Wildfires$8K to the City of Fort Collins for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Tornadoes22 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  4. 2006Snow$153K to the City of Fort Collins for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$102K to the City of Fort Collins for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fort CollinsLarimer County only

Larimer County has had 14 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 12 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Larimer County, 2000–2024.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Fort Collins archive →
Next door

Fort Collins and its neighbors

Fort Collins has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Windsor: hazard risk C−Timnath: hazard risk A−WindsorTimnathFort Collins
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Fort CollinsA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding37
TimnathA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding1
WindsorC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding3

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Fort Collins 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 ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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.
  • Fort Collins residents get 40% 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 Fort Collins

Is Fort Collins at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Collins has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #11 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and hail (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fort Collins flood?

Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Fort Collins since 1982, $702K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late summer storms (3).

Is Fort Collins 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 Larimer County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fort Collins?

Fort Collins is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 2), which takes 40% 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.

What was the biggest storm in Fort Collins?

By FEMA money that reached Fort Collins, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2013): 82 households applied for aid, $56K approved, and $458K to the City of Fort Collins for repairs. By flood claims, Late summer storms: 3 paid, $20K.

Is Fort Collins at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Fort Collins’ rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Collins.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fort Collins’ 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.