Photo: Thomas Wozniak · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Ogden faces more hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ogden gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #77 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (76%), then river and rain flooding (20%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1983.
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 Ogden faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Ogden’s grade
Earthquakes are 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ogden, and Ogden’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 20% (lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
C #77 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ogden’s residents live in 28 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ogden has more expected damage per building than 64% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $66.9M a year in losses across Ogden: $30.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ogden flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ogden, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ogden isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Weber County.The storms Ogden remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Weber County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ogden itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20054 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19832 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Weber County
- 19862 flood claims paidThe year of Heavy Rains, Snowmelt and Flooding, declared for Weber County
Weber County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Weber County, 2003–2017.
Old photos of Ogden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ogden archive →Ogden and its neighbors
Ogden is 9th of the 9 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisville | B+less damage than 68% | earthquakes | 1 |
| North Ogden | Bless damage than 64% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Farr West | Bless damage than 63% | earthquakes | — |
| West Haven | Bless damage than 63% | earthquakes | — |
| Roy | Bless damage than 59% | earthquakes | 2 |
| South Ogden | Bless damage than 58% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Marriott-Slaterville | B−more damage than 51% | earthquakes | — |
| Riverdale | C+more damage than 64% | earthquakes | 4 |
| Ogden | Cmore damage than 68% | earthquakes | 13 |
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.
Get ready for what Ogden faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Ogden
Is Ogden at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ogden has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #77 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (76%) and river and rain flooding (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ogden flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Ogden since 1983, $39K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Ogden 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 Weber County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ogden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ogden’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ogden at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Ogden’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ogden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ogden’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.