Natural hazards · Montrose

Montrose, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Montrose comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Montrose?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Montrose to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding75%Earthquakes15%Lightning8%Everything else3%

By hazard

What Montrose faces

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

Inland flooding

75% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

15% of expected damage

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

Lightning

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 37% 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 Montrose flood?

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

2paid claims since 1979

$33Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Montrose County.

Disasters that hit Montrose

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MontroseDeclared for Montrose County only

Montrose County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and fires.

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. Montrose covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Montrose’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Montrose. 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 Montrose total about $5.4M 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.