Natural hazards · Highlands Ranch

Highlands Ranch, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Highlands Ranch comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Highlands Ranch?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Highlands Ranch to be higher than in 22% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding40%Tornadoes19%Hail17%Lightning10%Strong wind5%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Highlands Ranch faces

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

Inland flooding

40% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 16% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Hail

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Lightning

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Highlands Ranch flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Highlands Ranch.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Douglas County.

Disasters that hit Highlands Ranch

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Highlands RanchDeclared for Douglas County only

Douglas County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and fires.

Around Highlands Ranch

Highlands Ranch and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Littletonmostly inland floodingModerate

Centennialmostly hailModerate

Highlands Ranchmostly inland floodingLow

Lone Treemostly inland floodingVery low

Acres Greenmostly 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. Highlands Ranch covers 20 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Highlands Ranch’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Highlands Ranch. 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 Highlands Ranch total about $18.4M 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.