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Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado Town HallPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Hot Sulphur Springs · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Hot Sulphur Springs

Hot Sulphur Springs isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Hot Sulphur Springs yet.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 4 declared for Grand County
By hazard

What Hot Sulphur Springs 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

84%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Wildfire

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Landslides top 5% Ice storms Cold waves Lightning Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 60% of Hot Sulphur Springs’ expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Hot Sulphur Springs flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hot Sulphur Springs. 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

Hot Sulphur Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Grand County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hot Sulphur Springs

Disasters that paid out in Hot Sulphur Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2020Wildfires$14K to the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Hot Sulphur SpringsGrand County only

Grand County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Grand County, 2020–2020.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hot Sulphur Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hot Sulphur Springs 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Hot Sulphur Springs

Is Hot Sulphur Springs 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 Grand County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hot Sulphur Springs?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hot Sulphur Springs’ 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 Hot Sulphur Springs?

By FEMA money that reached Hot Sulphur Springs, Wildfires (2020): $14K to the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hot Sulphur Springs.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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