County Hazards

States › Colorado › Fremont County

Fremont County, Colorado

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 08043 · 49,661 residents (2021) · 1,534 sq mi · dominant hazard Hail

Hail · 101Tornado · 9Flood · 62Wind · 14Winter · 0
1958-07-11: Hail1958-07-11: Hail1960-09-08: Hail1965-08-21: Hail1965-06-16: Hail1969-08-22: Hail1981-08-26: Hail1984-06-13: Hail1987-06-23: Hail1989-07-03: Hail1991-08-12: Hail1996-08-16: Hail1996-08-08: Hail1996-08-08: Hail1996-08-01: Hail1997-09-04: Hail1998-08-03: Hail2000-07-13: Hail2000-08-21: Hail2001-06-20: Hail2001-05-28: Hail2001-05-30: Hail2001-05-30: Hail2001-07-14: Hail2001-07-13: Hail2001-08-05: Hail2003-05-24: Hail2003-06-10: Hail2003-07-15: Hail2004-06-21: Hail2004-08-09: Hail2006-07-17: Hail2006-08-26: Hail2007-05-01: Hail2007-05-01: Hail2007-05-14: Hail2007-05-28: Hail2007-05-28: Hail2007-06-02: Hail2007-06-26: Hail2007-06-26: Hail2007-06-27: Hail2007-06-27: Hail2007-08-06: Hail2007-08-15: Hail2007-07-11: Hail2008-07-03: Hail2008-08-08: Hail2008-08-24: Hail2008-08-24: Hail2008-08-08: Hail2009-08-05: Hail2009-07-21: Hail2009-07-21: Hail2009-08-18: Hail2009-08-18: Hail2009-08-18: Hail2011-08-03: Hail2011-08-03: Hail2012-06-16: Hail2012-06-16: Hail2014-05-23: Hail2014-06-08: Hail2014-06-08: Hail2014-06-08: Hail2015-06-11: Hail2015-06-11: Hail2015-09-29: Hail2015-09-29: Hail2015-08-11: Hail2015-07-02: Hail2015-07-02: Hail2016-08-19: Hail2017-08-08: Hail2018-07-26: Hail2018-07-27: Hail2018-07-27: Hail2020-05-24: Hail2020-07-30: Hail2020-07-30: Hail2020-07-30: Hail2020-07-12: Hail2023-07-20: Hail2023-07-20: Hail2023-07-20: Hail2023-07-20: Hail2023-06-12: Hail2023-06-12: Hail2023-06-12: Hail2024-06-10: Hail2024-06-10: Hail2024-06-10: Hail2024-06-10: Hail1985-07-19: Tornado1985-07-22: Tornado1988-04-21: Tornado1989-07-13: Tornado1997-06-05: Tornado2003-09-05: Tornado2004-06-15: Tornado2014-08-25: Tornado2016-06-23: Tornado2008-07-26: Flood2009-07-25: Flood2009-07-26: Flood2009-07-26: Flood2010-07-30: Flood2010-08-02: Flood2012-07-31: Flood2013-08-10: Flood2013-09-15: Flood2013-09-12: Flood2013-09-12: Flood2013-08-09: Flood2014-08-25: Flood2015-06-15: Flood2015-06-15: Flood2015-07-09: Flood2016-08-23: Flood2017-06-06: Flood2017-08-03: Flood2017-07-15: Flood2017-07-29: Flood2018-09-06: Flood2018-07-23: Flood2018-07-24: Flood2018-07-24: Flood2018-07-23: Flood2020-05-30: Flood2021-07-25: Flood2021-07-25: Flood2021-07-25: Flood2021-07-01: Flood2021-07-06: Flood2021-07-21: Flood2021-05-17: Flood2022-08-07: Flood2022-08-07: Flood2022-08-07: Flood2022-08-03: Flood2022-08-03: Flood2022-08-04: Flood2022-07-11: Flood2023-07-29: Flood2023-06-12: Flood2023-06-12: Flood2024-01-17: Flood2024-06-10: Flood2025-07-31: Flood2025-07-31: Flood1984-07-03: Wind1992-03-23: Wind1996-07-12: Wind2000-09-08: Wind2000-09-08: Wind2001-05-30: Wind2009-08-05: Wind2020-06-03: Wind2020-06-06: Wind2021-07-23: Wind2022-08-07: Wind2024-08-19: Wind2024-06-07: Wind2024-06-27: Wind
Fremont County within Colorado. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Fremont County, Colorado, has 203 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them hail.

That is 13.2 events per 100 square miles, below the Colorado figure of 49.4, and 40.9 per 10,000 residents against 88.1 statewide.

2 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 1 injury to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $8.2M.

FEMA has designated the county in 15 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Covid-19 Pandemic (major disaster, 28 Mar 2020).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 72 claims since 1978, of which 39 were paid, totalling $344K (about $9K per paid claim). FEMA counts 184 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($22M a year across 18 hazards).

2events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026
203events since 19502 deaths, 1 injury recorded
15disaster declarationslast 28 Mar 2020
72NFIP flood claims$344K paid

Compared with Colorado and the United States

MeasureFremont CountyColoradoUS
Recorded events since 195020351,1871,977,440
Events per 100 square miles13.249.456.0
Events per 10,000 residents40.988.159.6
Events in the last 12 months21,51962,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI232226,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)$8.2M$11B$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents1.41.08.1
Average paid NFIP claim$9K$25K$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years2.74.416.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 2
Hail: 4
Hail: 4Tornado: 4Wind: 1
Hail: 15Tornado: 1Flood: 10Wind: 2Lightning: 1
Hail: 40Tornado: 2Flood: 8Wind: 4Wildfire: 2Lightning: 4
Hail: 20Tornado: 2Flood: 22Lightning: 1Other: 3
Hail: 16Flood: 22Wind: 7Other: 6
21950s41960s01970s91980s291990s602000s482010s512020s
Recorded events in Fremont County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWildfireLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 133 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 59 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Hail101
Flood62
Wind14
Tornado9
Other9
Lightning6
Wildfire2
HazardEventsDeathsShare of state's events
■ Hail101—0.7%detail
■ Flood6223.2%detail
■ Wind14—0.2%detail
■ Tornado9—0.4%
■ Other9—0.5%
■ Lightning6—1.3%
■ Wildfire2—0.3%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

DateEvent typeGroupMagnitudeProperty damageCrop damageDeathsInjuriesGeography
6 Aug 1997FloodFlood———2—County
1 Jul 2019LightningLightning————1County
2 Jun 2002WildfireWildfire—$5.0M———County
5 Jul 2006Flash FloodFlood—$2.0M———County
8 Aug 1996Flash FloodFlood—$800K———County
3 Jul 2008LightningLightning—$150K———County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitlePrograms
28 Mar 2020DR-4498Major disasterBiologicalCovid-19 PandemicIndividual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020EM-3436EmergencyBiologicalCovid-19Public assistance
16 Jul 2015DR-4229Major disasterFloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And MudslidesPublic assistance
14 Sep 2013DR-4145Major disasterFloodSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And MudslidesIndividual assistance, Public assistance
12 Sep 2013EM-3365EmergencyFloodSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And MudslidesPublic assistance
26 Jul 2013DR-4133Major disasterFireRoyal Gorge FireIndividual assistance, Public assistance
11 Jun 2013FM-5028Fire management assistanceFireRoyal Gorge FirePublic assistance
16 Jun 2011FM-2923Fire management assistanceFireDuckett FirePublic assistance
5 Sep 2005EM-3224EmergencyCoastal StormHurricane Katrina EvacuationPublic assistance
9 Apr 2003EM-3185EmergencySnowstormSnowPublic assistance
19 Jun 2002DR-1421Major disasterFireWildfiresIndividual assistance
2 Jun 2002FM-2410Fire management assistanceFireIron Mountain FirePublic assistance
17 May 1999DR-1276Major disasterSevere StormCo-Flooding 4/30/99Public assistance
29 Jan 1977EM-3025EmergencyDroughtDroughtPublic assistance
19 Jun 1965DR-200Major disasterTornadoTornadoes, Severe Storms & FloodingIndividual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026
NFIP claims by year of loss in Fremont County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).
Claims since 197872
Paid claims39
Total paid$344K
Average paid claim$9K
Repetitive-loss properties0
Residential policies in force1840.9% of 20,827 structures
Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsAmount paidAverage paid
202510$0—
201843$173,954$57,985
201531$2,419$2,419
201362$33,027$16,513
201021$8,415$8,415
200933$29,154$9,718
200811$2,844$2,844
200310$0—
200222$16,159$8,079
200031$2,352$2,352
199942$2,199$1,099
199811$2,326$2,326
199741$10,380$10,380
19962316$52,177$3,261
199520$0—
199411$3,040$3,040
199172$4,359$2,179
198510$0—
198211$520$520
198021$264$264

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 68.6 of 100
Expected annual loss$22MRelatively Low
Social vulnerabilityRelatively High
Community resilienceRelatively Moderate
Hazard (NRI)Risk ratingExpected annual loss
Inland floodingRelatively Moderate$16,074,182
WildfireRelatively Moderate$2,297,419
LightningRelatively High$1,744,862
HailRelatively Moderate$884,879
TornadoRelatively Low$441,438
Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$221,049
Strong windRelatively Low$199,056
Heat waveRelatively Low$179,321
EarthquakeVery Low$133,282
Cold waveVery Low$107,489
LandslideRelatively Moderate$79,599
DroughtRelatively Low$49,124
Ice stormVery Low$10,256
AvalancheVery Low$94
Volcanic activityVery Low$12

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).

ZIP codes with flood claims

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Fremont County, CO?

NCEI records 101 hail events in Fremont County since 1950, in 33 different years; that is about 1.3 recorded events a year. 21 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Fremont County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 9 tornadoes in Fremont County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Fremont County?

28 Mar 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 15 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Fremont County, and how much was paid?

72 NFIP claims since 1978, 39 of them paid, for $344K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Fremont County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Fremont County compare with the rest of Colorado?

13.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 49.4 statewide, and 1.4 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 1.0. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.