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Natural hazards · Lakewood

Lakewood, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lakewood comes from hail, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 93 claims here since 1978. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Lakewood?

50
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lakewood to be higher than in 50% of U.S. communities, mostly from hail and inland flooding.

Hail34%Inland flooding34%Tornadoes14%Lightning7%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Lakewood faces

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

Hail

34% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

34% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Lightning

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windAvalanchesVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtTsunamis
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 Lakewood flood?

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

93paid claims since 1978
$701Kpaid to owners
9homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Late summer storms: 3 claims, $4K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 20% off flood insurance. Lakewood is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.
Disasters that hit Lakewood

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Lakewood itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Lakewood.

Brought FEMA money into LakewoodDeclared for Jefferson County only
2013

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

40 households applied for aid $39K aid approved $137K to the City of Lakewood for repairs
2006

Snow

$97K to the City of Lakewood for repairs
2003

Snow

$152K to the City of Lakewood for repairs
Jefferson County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Around Lakewood

Lakewood and the towns around it

Applewood: High, mostly inland floodingDenver: High, mostly inland floodingDakota Ridge: Moderate, mostly hailEdgewater: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Pleasant View: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWheat Ridge: Very high, mostly inland floodingEast Pleasant View: Moderate, mostly hailMorrison: Very high, mostly wildfiresGolden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFairmount: High, mostly inland floodingAurora: Moderate, mostly hailFour Square Mile: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEnglewood: High, mostly inland floodingBow Mar: High, mostly inland floodingNorth Washington: Low, mostly hailCommerce City: Moderate, mostly hailBerkley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLittleton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGreenwood Village: Low, mostly hailSheridan: High, mostly inland floodingCherry Hills Village: Moderate, mostly inland floodingKen Caryl: Moderate, mostly inland floodingArvada: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMountain View: High, mostly inland floodingIndian Hills: Very high, mostly wildfiresLakewood: Moderate, mostly hail LakewoodApplewoodDenverDakota RidgeEdgewaterWest Pleasant ViewWheat RidgeEast Pleasant ViewMorrisonGolden
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Morrisonmostly wildfiresVery high
Wheat Ridgemostly inland floodingVery high
Applewoodmostly inland floodingHigh
Denvermostly inland floodingHigh
West Pleasant Viewmostly inland floodingModerate
Dakota Ridgemostly hailModerate
Lakewoodmostly hailModerate
Goldenmostly inland floodingModerate
Edgewatermostly inland floodingModerate
East Pleasant Viewmostly hailModerate
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. Lakewood covers 41 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lakewood’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lakewood. 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 Lakewood total about $42.5M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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