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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Welby · FEMA

For hail, Welby’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Welby gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #64 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is hail (47%), then river and rain flooding (43%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1999.

Hail 47%River and rain flooding 43%Tornadoes 6%

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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#64 of 159 in Colorado
Hazard risk
B−#64 of 159
in Colorado · lower than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hail
47% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1999 · $12K
Flood claims per home
0 per 1,000
fewer than 94% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Welby faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hail

47%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

River and rain flooding

43%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves 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 13% of Welby’s expected losses. Cold waves 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Welby’s grade

Hail is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Welby, and Welby’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 43% (lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Welby sits
Welby
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #64 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Welby’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hail47%River and rain flooding43%Tornadoes6%Everything else4%

The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Welby has less expected damage per building than 60% of Colorado towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.9M a year in losses across Welby: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Welby covers 4 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 Welby flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Welby, 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.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19992013
19992026
Biggest named events
  • The Late summer storms1 claim · $8K
2
paid claims since 1999
$12K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Adams County.
Disasters

The storms Welby remembers

None of the 8 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Welby itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20131 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Adams County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WelbyAdams County only

Adams County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Welby archive →
Next door

Welby and its neighbors

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

Thornton: hazard risk B+North Washington: not gradedSherrelwood: hazard risk BTwin Lakes: hazard risk BThorntonNorth WashingtonSherrelwoodTwin LakesWelby
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ThorntonB+less damage than 66%hail7
SherrelwoodBless damage than 60%hail2
Twin LakesBless damage than 57%hail—
WelbyB−less damage than 51%hail2
North Washington—294 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Welby faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Welby

Is Welby at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Welby has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #64 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is hail (47%) and river and rain flooding (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Welby flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Welby since 1999, $12K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late summer storms (1).

Is Welby 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 Adams County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Welby?

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

By flood claims, Late summer storms: 1 paid, $8K.

Is Welby at risk from hail?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Welby’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Welby.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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