Natural hazards · Aspen

Aspen, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Aspen comes from avalanches, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1995.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Aspen?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Aspen to be higher than in 73% of U.S. communities, mostly from avalanches.

Avalanches86%Inland flooding13%Everything else1%

By hazard

What Aspen faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Avalanches

86% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Inland flooding

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesDroughtTsunamis

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Aspen flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aspen, from FEMA’s records.

2paid claims since 1995

$153Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Aspen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Pitkin County.

Disasters that hit Aspen

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Pitkin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aspen itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into AspenDeclared for Pitkin County only

Pitkin County has had 4 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and fires.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Aspen covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Aspen’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Aspen. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Aspen total about $13.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.