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Platteville, ColoradoPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Platteville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Platteville 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, Platteville gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #89 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 67%Tornadoes 13%Hail 10%

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 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#89 of 159 in Colorado
Hazard risk
C+#89 of 159
in Colorado · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for Weld County
By hazard

What Platteville 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

67%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Wildfire

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Ice storms Heat waves Landslides Volcanic activity top 5%
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 14% of Platteville’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 Platteville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Platteville, and Platteville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Platteville sits
Platteville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #89 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Platteville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Tornadoes13%Hail10%Everything else9%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Platteville: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Platteville’s 2,955 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Platteville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Platteville. 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

Platteville 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

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Platteville

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides19 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms and Tornadoes23 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2003Snow$2K to the Town of Platteville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PlattevilleWeld 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 Platteville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Platteville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Platteville 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 ↗
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 Platteville

Is Platteville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Platteville has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #89 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (13%). 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.

Is Platteville 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 Platteville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Platteville, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2013): 19 households applied for aid, $12K approved.

Is Platteville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Platteville’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Platteville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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