547 flood insurance claims·$15.0M paid·8 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Larimer County, Colorado. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk in Larimer County, accounting for 74 recorded events and 13 deaths over the last 30 years compared to 9 standard flood events. Recent
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of Larimer County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
386 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 9 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2013, with 293 claims and $12.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
34 NOAA storm reports from Larimer County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Alexander Mountain Fire | Jul 31, 2024 |
| Stone Mountain Fire | Jul 30, 2024 |
| Cameron Peak Fire | Sep 6, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Sep 6, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Sep 11, 2013 |
| High Park And Waldo Canyon Wildfires | Jun 9, 2012 |
| High Park Fire | Jun 9, 2012 |
| Crystal Fire | Apr 3, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
83 since 1996: 74 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2023 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2023 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2023 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 Livermore in Larimer C…
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 and vehicles. In Elb…
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.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Larimer County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.