Natural hazards · Boulder

Boulder, NV natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Boulder comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1984.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Boulder?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Boulder to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding41%Heat waves37%Earthquakes21%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Boulder faces

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

Inland flooding

41% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Heat waves

37% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Boulder flood?

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

3paid claims since 1984

$22Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19842026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Clark County.

Disasters that hit Boulder

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BoulderDeclared for Clark County only

Clark County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and severe storms.

Around Boulder

Boulder and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hendersonmostly inland floodingLow

Boulder Citymostly inland floodingLow

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. Boulder covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Boulder’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Boulder. 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 Boulder total about $5.8M 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.