Natural hazards · Grand Junction

Grand Junction, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Grand Junction comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1983.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Grand Junction?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Grand Junction to be higher than in 13% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding70%Earthquakes14%Lightning9%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Grand Junction faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

14% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Lightning

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Grand Junction flood?

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

7paid claims since 1983

$19Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19832026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Mesa County.

Disasters that hit Grand Junction

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Grand JunctionDeclared for Mesa County only

Mesa County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around Grand Junction

Grand Junction and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Orchard Mesamostly inland floodingModerate

Cliftonmostly inland floodingLow

Grand Junctionmostly inland floodingVery low

Redlandsmostly inland floodingVery low

Fruitvalemostly inland floodingVery low

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. Grand Junction covers 13 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Grand Junction’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Grand Junction. 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 Grand Junction total about $10.8M 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.