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Natural hazards · Wheat Ridge

Wheat Ridge, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wheat Ridge comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 27 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 Wheat Ridge?

81
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wheat Ridge to be higher than in 81% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hail.

Inland flooding62%Hail20%Tornadoes8%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Wheat Ridge faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

20% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Wheat Ridge flood?

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

27paid claims since 1978
$97Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Late summer storms: 1 claim, $697
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 15% off flood insurance. Wheat Ridge is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.
Disasters that hit Wheat Ridge

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Wheat RidgeDeclared for Jefferson County only
2013

Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

23 households applied for aid $18K aid approved
2006

Snow

$50K to the City of Wheat Ridge for repairs
2003

Snow

$18K to the City of Wheat Ridge for repairs
Jefferson County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Around Wheat Ridge

Wheat Ridge and the towns around it

Arvada: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFairmount: High, mostly inland floodingEdgewater: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLakewood: Moderate, mostly hailApplewood: High, mostly inland floodingMountain View: High, mostly inland floodingWestminster: Low, mostly hailBerkley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGolden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDenver: High, mostly inland floodingDakota Ridge: Moderate, mostly hailWest Pleasant View: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Pleasant View: Moderate, mostly hailMorrison: Very high, mostly wildfiresWheat Ridge: Very high, mostly inland flooding Wheat RidgeArvadaFairmountEdgewaterLakewoodApplewoodMountain View
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Wheat Ridgemostly inland floodingVery high
Mountain Viewmostly inland floodingHigh
Applewoodmostly inland floodingHigh
Fairmountmostly inland floodingHigh
Arvadamostly inland floodingModerate
Lakewoodmostly hailModerate
Edgewatermostly inland floodingModerate
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. Wheat Ridge covers 8 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wheat Ridge’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Wheat Ridge. 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 Wheat Ridge total about $17.5M 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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