Natural hazards · Gunbarrel

Gunbarrel, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Gunbarrel comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1995.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Gunbarrel?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Gunbarrel to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding48%Tornadoes16%Hail14%Lightning7%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Gunbarrel faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Hail

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lightning

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 41% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Gunbarrel flood?

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

5paid claims since 1995

$10Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

Biggest named events

Late summer storms: 1 claim, $2K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Boulder County.

Disasters that hit Gunbarrel

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GunbarrelDeclared for Boulder County only

Boulder County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around Gunbarrel

Gunbarrel and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bouldermostly inland floodingModerate

Gunbarrelmostly inland floodingLow

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. Gunbarrel covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Gunbarrel’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Gunbarrel. 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 Gunbarrel total about $2.9M 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.