Longmont’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Longmont comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 50 claims here since 1981. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Longmont’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Longmont flood? Sometimes: 50 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Longmont, from FEMA’s records.
- The Late summer storms46 claims · $4.6M
Longmont is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Boulder County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Longmont
Disasters that paid out in Longmont itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Longmont) and its biggest flood years.
- 2021Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds58 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$1.1M to the City of Longmont for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2,253 households applied for aid$7.6M aid approved$42.0M to the City of Longmont for repairs46 flood claims paid that year
- 2006Snow$96K to the City of Longmont for repairs
- 2003Snow$11K to the City of Longmont for repairs
Boulder County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Old photos of Longmont after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Longmont archive →How exposed is Longmont?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 381 of the 481 Colorado towns we cover.
Longmont covers 17 census tracts, combined by population.
What Longmont faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Hail
Lightning
Get ready for what Longmont actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
- Longmont residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Longmont and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longmont | Low | inland flooding | 50 |
| Firestone | Low | inland flooding | 6 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Disasters here can come any time of year
The month each of Boulder County’s 15 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Longmont’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Longmont.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Longmont, expected losses total about $21.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Longmont.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.