Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fort Lupton

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Fort Lupton, ColoradoPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fort Lupton · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Fort Lupton as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Lupton gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #74 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 70%Tornadoes 14%Hail 11%

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

more than 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#74 of 159 in Colorado
Hazard risk
B−#74 of 159
in Colorado · higher than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for Weld County
By hazard

What Fort Lupton 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

70%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Ice storms Heat waves Landslides 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 17% of Fort Lupton’s 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 Lupton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Lupton, and Fort Lupton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 11%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fort Lupton sits
Fort Lupton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #74 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fort Lupton’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Tornadoes14%Hail11%Everything else6%

The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Lupton has less expected damage per building than 54% of Colorado towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Fort Lupton: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Fort Lupton’s 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 Lupton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fort Lupton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fort Lupton 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.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Fort Lupton

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides76 households applied for aid$144K aid approved$381K to the City of Fort Lupton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fort LuptonWeld County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Fort Lupton archive →
Next door

Fort Lupton and its neighbors

Fort Lupton is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dacono: hazard risk B+Brighton: hazard risk B+Firestone: hazard risk BDaconoBrightonFirestoneFort Lupton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DaconoB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding3
BrightonB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding2
FirestoneBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding6
Fort LuptonB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding0

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 Lupton 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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.
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 Lupton

Is Fort Lupton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Lupton has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #74 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Fort Lupton 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 Fort Lupton?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fort Lupton’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 Fort Lupton?

By FEMA money that reached Fort Lupton, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2013): 76 households applied for aid, $144K approved, and $381K to the City of Fort Lupton for repairs.

Is Fort Lupton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Fort Lupton’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Lupton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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