Natural hazards · Orchard Mesa

Orchard Mesa, CO natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Orchard Mesa?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Orchard Mesa to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding83%Lightning7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Orchard Mesa faces

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

Inland flooding

83% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lightning

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Orchard Mesa flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Orchard Mesa.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Mesa County.

Disasters that hit Orchard Mesa

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Orchard MesaDeclared for Mesa County only

Mesa County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around Orchard Mesa

Orchard Mesa and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Orchard Mesamostly inland floodingModerate

Grand Junctionmostly 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. Orchard Mesa covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Orchard Mesa’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Orchard Mesa. 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 Orchard Mesa total about $2.0M 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.