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Johnstown, Colorado Town HallPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Johnstown · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Johnstown faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Johnstown gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #51 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 71%Tornadoes 13%Hail 12%

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 58%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#51 of 159 in Colorado
Hazard risk
B#51 of 159
in Colorado · lower than 58% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2018 · $10K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for Weld County
By hazard

What Johnstown 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

71%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

12%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 Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Lightning 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 Johnstown’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 Johnstown’s grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Johnstown, and Johnstown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 12%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Johnstown sits
Johnstown
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #51 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Johnstown’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Tornadoes13%Hail12%Everything else4%

The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Johnstown has less expected damage per building than 68% of Colorado towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.2M a year in losses across Johnstown: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Johnstown covers 6 census tracts, combined by where 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 Johnstown flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Johnstown, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
1
paid claims since 2018
$10K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Johnstown 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 Johnstown

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides43 households applied for aid$95K aid approved$79K to the Town of Johnstown for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JohnstownWeld 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 Johnstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Johnstown archive →
Next door

Johnstown and its neighbors

Johnstown is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Loveland: hazard risk A−Berthoud: hazard risk B+Milliken: hazard risk CLovelandBerthoudMillikenJohnstown
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LovelandA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding20
BerthoudB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding1
JohnstownBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding1
MillikenCmore damage than 66%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 Johnstown 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 Johnstown

Is Johnstown at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Johnstown has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #51 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Johnstown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Johnstown since 2018, $10K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Johnstown 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 Johnstown?

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

By FEMA money that reached Johnstown, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2013): 43 households applied for aid, $95K approved, and $79K to the Town of Johnstown for repairs.

Is Johnstown at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Johnstown’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Johnstown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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