FEMA Records
30
High volume
Colorado · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Larimer County, CO
30 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 30
- FEMA declarations
- 13
- Major disasters
- 90
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Larimer County. Its 30 FEMA declarations are 194% above the Colorado county mean and exceed the count for 86% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 10%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 10%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 30
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 547
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
How does Larimer County compare?
Larimer County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
30 Top 14% higher than 86% of 3,266 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Larimer County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Colorado county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Larimer County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $54.3M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively High), while Lightning carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Larimer County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 547 claims and $15.1M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $27.7K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Larimer County's 30 federal records stand 194% above the Colorado county mean of 10.2. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 90.1/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $126.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Relatively High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Lightning stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 57 times per year here, based on 453,215 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 30 entries for Larimer County, including 13 Major Disaster records, 194% above the Colorado county mean. Across the 59-year span, that works out to 0.5 declarations a year. Fire leads the file with 15 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
76 /100
Historical Activity Index
Very High historical activity
Larimer County, CO · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) High
22/30
30 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density Very High
25/25
30 declarations (2.9x state county average of 10)
Major Disaster Share Moderate
11/25
13 of 30 declarations are major disasters (43%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Larimer County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. Colorado Avg
+194%
State avg: 10.2
vs. National Avg
+45%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 59 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Larimer County
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
43%
Mixed major share
NRI risk score
90
Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Larimer County?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 57 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively High | an average of 4.4 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 22 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | roughly once every 227 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | an average of 1.1 times per year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | roughly once every 5 years |
| Tornado | Relatively High | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2.1 times per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,393 years |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | roughly once every 10,000 years |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 0.2 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | roughly once every 51 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 18 modeled event-days per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Fire 15
Flood 7
Biological 2
Severe Storm 2
Snowstorm 2
Coastal Storm 1
Tornado 1
What Fire declarations mean here
Fire is the most frequent declaration type on Larimer County's record, 50% of its declarations. Wildfire is the one hazard here with its own dedicated federal instrument: the Fire Management Assistance Grant, which appears in this data as an FM record. An FMAG can be authorised while a fire is still burning, on a timescale of hours, because its purpose is to reimburse the cost of fighting a fire that threatens to become a major disaster.
That distinction matters when comparing counties. An FM declaration is not a presidential major disaster declaration and does not carry the same assistance programmes, so a fire-heavy county's total is not directly comparable with a hurricane-heavy county's total unless the declaration types are separated, which is why they are listed separately on this page.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 13 43.3%
of all 30 declarations
Fire Management - 12 40.0%
of all 30 declarations
Emergency - 5 16.7%
of all 30 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 3 | |
| 2000 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
Show 6 earlier declaration years
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 30 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 30 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5524 | ALEXANDER MOUNTAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-31 |
| 5525 | STONE MOUNTAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2024-07-31 |
| 4581 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2021-01-15 |
| 5349 | CAMERON PEAK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2020-09-06 |
| 4498 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-28 |
| 3436 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4145 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2013-09-14 |
| 3365 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2013-09-12 |
| 4067 | HIGH PARK AND WALDO CANYON WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2012-06-28 |
| 2980 | HIGH PARK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2012-06-09 |
| 2877 | CRYSTAL FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-04-03 |
| 2857 | RESERVOIR ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2010-09-12 |
| 1762 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-05-26 |
| 3270 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2007-01-07 |
| 3224 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Coastal Storm | 2005-09-05 |
| 2514 | CO - PICNIC ROCK FIRE - 03/30/2004 | FM | Fire | 2004-04-01 |
| 2511 | CO - BUCKHORN CREEK FIRE - 11/11/2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-11-12 |
| 2486 | CO-CLOUDY PASS FIRE-07/25/2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-07-25 |
| 3185 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-04-09 |
| 2447 | BIG ELK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2002-07-18 |
Show 10 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1421 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2002-06-19 |
| 2383 | CO - ARMAGEDDON FIRE - 11/01/01 | FM | Fire | 2001-11-01 |
| 2308 | BOBCAT GULCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2000-06-12 |
| 1276 | CO-FLOODING 4/30/99 | DR | Severe Storm | 1999-05-17 |
| 1186 | SEVERE STORMS, HEAVY RAIN, FLASH FLOODS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 1997-08-01 |
| 665 | FLASH FLOOD DUE TO DAM FAILURE | DR | Flood | 1982-07-22 |
| 517 | SEVERE STORMS & FLASH FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1976-08-02 |
| 385 | HEAVY RAINS, SNOWMELT AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-05-23 |
| 261 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1969-05-19 |
| 200 | TORNADOES, SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Tornado | 1965-06-19 |
Storm Events in Colorado
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Larimer County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 4,913 | 0 | 100 | $2.9B |
| Winter Weather | 2,620 | 3 | 23 | $22.5K |
| High Wind | 1,992 | 5 | 6 | $20.9M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,741 | 2 | 11 | $5.4M |
| Winter Storm | 1,497 | 0 | 0 | $848.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
547
Total Paid
$15.1M
Avg Per Claim
$27.7K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 90.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$126.5M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Lightning Very High
Hail Relatively High
Winter Weather Very High
Wildfire Relatively High
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively High
Tornado Relatively High
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Lightning
Lightning is modeled as a high-frequency, low-per-event hazard: strike counts are large, but each strike affects a very small area. Its aggregate cost accumulates through structure fires, electrical and electronic damage, and it is one of the few hazards whose risk is essentially continuous through the season rather than episodic.
Worth noting for Larimer County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Lightning carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Fire. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Larimer County's closest FEMA peer: Pamlico County, NC
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Larimer County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Larimer County shows 30 FEMA declarations, led by Fire.
Similar Major-disaster share
Larimer County: 13 of 30 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Larimer County: NRI composite 90.1 (Relatively Moderate).
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Larimer County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Larimer County's NFIP claims file (547 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Larimer County?
The most common disaster type in Larimer County is Fire, with 15 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (7), Biological (2), Severe Storm (2).
How does Larimer County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Colorado average?
FEMA lists 30 declaration records for Larimer County. That is 194% above the Colorado county mean of 10.2. Its count is also 45% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Larimer County received?
Larimer County has received 13 major disaster declarations, representing 43% of all 30 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Larimer County filed?
Larimer County has 547 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $15.1M in payments, with an average of $27.7K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Larimer County?
No. In Larimer County, Lightning has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $54.3M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Larimer County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Larimer County was 2002, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Larimer County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Larimer County, Colorado has an overall risk score of 90.1 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). Social vulnerability here rates Very Low, while community resilience comes in at Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $126.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Larimer County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Larimer County is Lightning (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Hail (Relatively High) and Winter Weather (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts lightning here at an average of 57 times per year, drawn from 453,215 historical events on record. These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Larimer County
Larimer County, CO has 30 federal declaration records, 194% more than the Colorado county mean of 10; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 13 of 30 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. Colorado overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the Colorado mean and the totals for 86% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- The large NFIP claims file and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records; the guide explains where they overlap and where they do not. Disaster-data guide
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015-2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.