Photo: ERoss99 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Limon faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Limon gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2000.
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 Limon 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Limon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Limon, and Limon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Limon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $995K a year in losses across Limon: $581K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Limon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Limon, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Limon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.The storms Limon remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Lincoln County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Limon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lincoln County has had 7 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.
Old photos of Limon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Limon archive →Get ready for what Limon 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Limon
Is Limon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Limon has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (15%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Limon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Limon since 2000, $4K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Limon 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 Lincoln County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Limon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Limon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Limon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Limon’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Limon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Limon’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.