Natural hazards · Welby

Welby, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Welby comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1999.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Welby?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Welby to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hail.

Inland flooding32%Hail31%Cold waves18%Tornadoes10%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Welby faces

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

Inland flooding

32% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 28% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

31% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Cold waves

18% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic 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 Welby flood?

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

2paid claims since 1999

$12Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19992026

Biggest named events

Late summer storms: 1 claim, $8K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Adams County.

Disasters that hit Welby

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WelbyDeclared for Adams County only

Adams County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Welby

Welby and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Twin Lakesmostly inland floodingModerate

Welbymostly inland floodingModerate

Sherrelwoodmostly hailLow

Thorntonmostly hailLow

North Washingtonmostly hailLow

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. Welby covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Welby’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Welby. 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 Welby total about $3.2M 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.