Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Snowmass Village than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Snowmass Village gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #16 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.
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 stands out about Snowmass Village’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Snowmass Village 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
Wildfire
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 Snowmass Village’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Snowmass Village, and Snowmass Village’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #16 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Snowmass Village’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Snowmass Village has less expected damage per building than 91% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.2M a year in losses across Snowmass Village: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Snowmass Village flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Snowmass Village, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Snowmass Village isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pitkin County.The storms Snowmass Village remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Pitkin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Snowmass Village itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Pitkin 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.
Old photos of Snowmass Village after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Snowmass Village archive →Get ready for what Snowmass Village 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.
- 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.
- 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 Snowmass Village
Is Snowmass Village at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Snowmass Village has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #16 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and wildfire (5%). 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 Snowmass Village flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Snowmass Village since 2011, $6K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Snowmass Village 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 Pitkin County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Snowmass Village?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Snowmass Village’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Snowmass Village at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Snowmass Village’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Snowmass Village.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Snowmass Village’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.