Enter any address in Larimer County, Colorado to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Larimer County. Between 2000 and 2023, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 74 flash flood events, resulting in 13 fatalities. For example, heavy rains in June 2023 caused flash flooding south and southeast of Fort Collins, leading to road closures and water rescues. More recently, in August 2024, minor flooding occurred along U.S. Highway 34 following severe thunderstorms.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows that properties in Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $32,794 and an average water depth of 4.5 feet. However, properties in Zone X, which includes both shaded and unshaded areas, have also seen significant claims, with average payouts ranging from $9,756 to $20,979 and average water depths from 1.6 to 6.2 feet. Homeowners in Zone A and those in any Zone X areas should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
34 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Larimer County, Colorado has recorded 83 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 74 flash floods and 9 river or area floods. The county has received 30 federal disaster declarations, 8 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Mountain Fire | Fire | Jul 31, 2024 |
| Stone Mountain Fire | Fire | Jul 30, 2024 |
| Cameron Peak Fire | Fire | Sep 6, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Fire | Sep 6, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Sep 11, 2013 |
| High Park And Waldo Canyon Wildfires | Fire | Jun 9, 2012 |
| High Park Fire | Fire | Jun 9, 2012 |
| Crystal Fire | Fire | Apr 3, 2011 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2023 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2023 | 250.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2023 | 15.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2023 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2023 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2023 | 25.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2022 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2022 | 15.00K |
Flash Flood — Aug 7, 2024
Severe thunderstorms produced hail up to 1.75 inches and winds to 65 mph across parts of the eastern Colorado plains. In addition to this, minor flooding was report along U.S. Highway 34 from the Alexander Mountain Fire.
Flash Flood — Jul 31, 2023
Severe thunderstorms produced heavy rain, large hail and damaging wind across parts of Boulder, Denver, Elbert, Larimer and Weld counties. One tornado touched down briefly near Carr, but no damage was observed. Hail up to half dollar size was observed, along with peak wind gusts around 60 mph. Heavy rainfall, up to 3.64 inches, produced flooding and flash flooding around Fort Collins and Li...
Flash Flood — Jul 20, 2023
Severe thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging wind gusts across portions of Adams, Denver, Elbert, Lincoln and Logan Counties. The hail ranged in size from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Peak wind gusts up to around 70 mph were observed. In Logan County, a spotter reported significant crop damage at their location. The storms also caused tree damage as well as property damage to homes a...
Flash Flood — Sep 14, 2023
Heavy rainfall produced localized flash flooding which resulted to temporary road closures in the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome burn scars.
Flash Flood — Jun 11, 2023
Very heavy rain occurred across some areas of northeast Colorado from June 11th until the early hours of June 12th with flash flooding in some areas. The worst areas were south and southeast of Fort Collins towards Timnath and Windsor and in the Milliken area. Locations in these areas received from 3.0 to 5.5 inches of rain. Another area was located in and near Limon where significant flash...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Larimer County, Colorado:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Larimer County, Colorado that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.