Photo: Eleaf · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Grand Junction than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grand Junction gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #5 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%), then earthquakes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1983.
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 Grand Junction 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 Grand Junction’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grand Junction, and Grand Junction’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 13% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
A #5 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Grand Junction’s residents live in 25 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, Grand Junction has less expected damage per building than 97% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.3M a year in losses across Grand Junction: $11.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grand Junction flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grand Junction, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Grand Junction 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 Grand Junction remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Mesa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Grand Junction itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20113 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19832 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19971 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 Grand Junction after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grand Junction archive →Grand Junction and its neighbors
Grand Junction is 3rd of the 5 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 |
| Redlands | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Grand Junction | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Clifton | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Orchard Mesa | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Grand Junction 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 Grand Junction
Is Grand Junction at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grand Junction has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #5 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and earthquakes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Grand Junction flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Grand Junction since 1983, $19K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Grand Junction 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 Grand Junction?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grand Junction’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Grand Junction at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Grand Junction’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grand Junction.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grand Junction’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.