States › Colorado › Mesa County
Mesa County, Colorado
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
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.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 472 storm events in Mesa County, Colorado, led by damaging wind.
That is 14.2 events per 100 square miles, below the Colorado figure of 49.4, and 30.0 per 10,000 residents against 88.1 statewide.
8 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 5 deaths and 6 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $3.3M and crop damage at $531K.
FEMA has designated the county in 8 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Pine Gulch Fire (fire management assistance, 19 Aug 2020).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 61 claims since 1978, of which 26 were paid, totalling $293K (about $11K per paid claim). FEMA counts 201 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" ($35M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Colorado and the United States
| Measure | Mesa County | Colorado | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 472 | 51,187 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 14.2 | 49.4 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 30.0 | 88.1 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 8 | 1,519 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 5 | 322 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $3.3M | $11B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.4 | 1.0 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $11K | $25K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 1.0 | 4.4 | 16.1 |
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
Trend: 262 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 183 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
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
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2014 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $25K | — | 3 | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2006 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 6 May 2023 | Flood | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2016 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | — | — | — | 4 | County |
| 29 Sep 1998 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 2 Jul 2016 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 21 Aug 1993 | Hail | Hail | 0.50 in | — | $500K | — | — | County |
| 19 Oct 2015 | Hail | Hail | 1.50 in | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jul 1998 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $400K | — | — | — | County |
| 2 May 2009 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | $400K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 1999 | Hail | Hail | 1.00 in | $300K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Aug 1997 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Jun 2011 | Flood | Flood | — | $125K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jul 2011 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $100K | $10K | — | — | County |
| 28 Jul 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 75 mph | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Jul 2021 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $100K | — | — | — | 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
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 2020 | FM-5335 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Pine Gulch Fire | Public assistance |
| 28 Mar 2020 | DR-4498 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3436 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 5 Sep 2005 | EM-3224 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 19 Jun 2002 | DR-1421 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | Individual assistance |
| 10 Jun 2002 | FM-2422 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Dierich Fire - 06/10/02 | Public assistance |
| 27 Jul 1984 | DR-719 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding | Public assistance |
| 29 Jan 1977 | EM-3025 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | 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
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | $11,413 | $11,413 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2012 | 2 | 1 | $4,166 | $4,166 |
| 2011 | 8 | 3 | $8,192 | $2,731 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | $4,683 | $4,683 |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | $1,467 | $1,467 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | $50,438 | $25,219 |
| 1999 | 2 | 2 | $2,954 | $1,477 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1997 | 1 | 1 | $1,055 | $1,055 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 | $750 | $750 |
| 1984 | 8 | 3 | $56,088 | $18,696 |
| 1983 | 23 | 9 | $139,858 | $15,540 |
| 1980 | 1 | 1 | $11,608 | $11,608 |
| 1978 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
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
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $21,790,401 | |
| Earthquake | $2,766,824 | |
| Lightning | $2,659,285 | |
| Landslide | $2,167,377 | |
| Avalanche | $1,731,440 | |
| Wildfire | $1,425,619 | |
| Drought | $656,081 | |
| Heat wave | $568,136 | |
| Cold wave | $444,960 | |
| Tornado | $199,142 | |
| Winter weather | $123,364 | |
| Strong wind | $80,865 | |
| Hail | $77,668 | |
| Ice storm | $38,992 | |
| Volcanic activity | $0 |
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 Mesa County, CO?
NCEI records 62 hail events in Mesa County since 1950, in 29 different years; that is about 0.8 recorded events a year. 7 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Mesa County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 10 tornadoes in Mesa County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Mesa County?
19 Aug 2020: Pine Gulch Fire, a fire management assistance declaration for fire. The county appears in 8 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Mesa County, and how much was paid?
61 NFIP claims since 1978, 26 of them paid, for $293K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Mesa 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 Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Mesa County compare with the rest of Colorado?
14.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 49.4 statewide, and 0.4 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.