Colorado floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 63 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,956 floods and flash floods in Colorado from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 65 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the September 11, 2013 flash flood: 6 deaths, 5 injuries and $828 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 10 records. Colorado ranks 32nd of 52 states and territories by count and 41st of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Colorado, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,9561996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 65average
- Deaths
- 4784 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.8Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2013173 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Colorado?
Colorado averages about 65 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 32nd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2013 (173). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Colorado records 189 floods and flash floods since 1996, 41st of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Colorado have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Denver County leads Colorado: 25 days with a flood since 1996, 163.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, El Paso County has the most flood records (201 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Colorado?
63% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (744 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 7 · Feb 2 · Mar 4 · Apr 39 · May 170 · Jun 266 · Jul 744 · Aug 484 · Sep 222 · Oct 15 · Nov 1 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Colorado?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-09-11 | Flash FloodRiverside, Boulder County One storm episode: 10 records in 7 places, 2013-09-11 to 2013-09-14; the totals are the episode's. A deep southerly flow over Colorado, ahead of a near stationary low pressure system over the Great Basin, pumped copious amounts of monsoonal moisture into the area. In addition, a weak stationary front stretched along the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. As a result, a prolonged period of moderate to heavy ... | 6 | 5 | $828M | |
| 1997-07-28 | Flash FloodFt Collins, Larimer County A flash flood killed 5 women and injured 40 others when a 10-15 foot wall of water surged through 2 mobile home parks. Over 8 inches of rainfall was measured in southwest Fort Collins during the evening hours as a series of storms developed, dumping heavy rain over the same area. The disaster occurred when debris ... | 5 | 40 | $349M | |
| 2021-07-20 | Flash FloodRustic, Larimer County A debris flow moved into Black Hollow Gulch and damaged or destroyed several structures including four homes. Four people in one of the homes perished when their residence washed away in the floodwaters. | 4 | 0 | $545K | |
| 1997-08-06 | FloodCanon City, Fremont County Heavy rain caused small stream and urban flooding in the Canon City area. Two young boys playing in an irrigation ditch were swept to their deaths shortly after 1:00 p.m. MST. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-07-12 | Flash FloodBuffalo Creek, Jefferson County Very heavy rain from a fast moving thunderstorm dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain within an hour over southern Jefferson County. Two people were killed near the town of Buffalo Creek when a 20-ft wall of water blasted through the area. Utility poles and trees were uprooted, cars, propane tanks and bridges were destroyed in ... | 2 | 0 | $978K | |
| 2022-07-15 | Flash FloodDrake, Larimer County Two people were killed when very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding in the Cameron Peak burn area. | 2 | 0 | $353K | |
| 2019-06-21 | FloodGunnison Co Arp, Gunnison County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Accelerated snowmelt due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on the Gunnison River. Two women died in separate recreational accidents caused by the dangerous water conditions. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-06-21 | Flash FloodColorado Spgs, El Paso County A severe thunderstorm moved south across the eastern side of Colorado Springs, causing copious amounts of hail and heavy rain. Two teenage boys were in a drainage culvert on Cottonwood Creek near Woodmen Road and Austin Bluffs Parkway, when the wave of water hit, and both drowned. Farther south, near the Citadel Mall, ... | 2 | 0 | $151K | |
| 2023-06-30 | FloodProspect Valley, Weld County A person was killed after the car they were driving was swept away by floodwaters. The accident occurred near Weld County Roads 73 and 16 . The occupant of the car drove past the roadblocks that are there to prevent vehicles from entering the dangerous floodwaters in the area. The car was found floating in the water ... | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2013-08-09 | Flash FloodCascade, El Paso County Very heavy rainfall of around 1.5 inches (with rainfall rates up to 5 inches per hour) occurred across the Waldo and Williams Canyon watersheds, producing flooding on US Highway 24 and in Manitou Springs. Flash flooding occurred from Cascade to Waldo Canyon along US Highway 24. Water and debris over three feet deep ... | 1 | 3 | $2.5M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Colorado
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-09-11 | Flash FloodRiverside, Boulder County One storm episode: 10 records in 7 places, 2013-09-11 to 2013-09-14; the totals are the episode's. | 6 | 5 | $828M | |
| 1997-07-28 | Flash FloodFt Collins, Larimer County | 5 | 40 | $349M | |
| 1997-08-11 | Flash FloodLakewood, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | $235M | |
| 2013-09-15 | FloodOrchard, Morgan County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2013-09-15 to 2013-09-16; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $59M | |
| 1999-04-29 | Flash FloodManitou Spgs, El Paso County | 0 | 0 | $50M | |
| 1997-08-11 | FloodPueblo County | 0 | 0 | $46M | |
| 1999-04-30 | FloodConejos County and Costilla County · forecast zone Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs And Vicinity One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $44M | |
| 1997-07-30 | Flash FloodAtwood, Logan County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $27M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Colorado?
Colorado's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Colorado | United States | Colorado's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 278 | 20,986 | 1.3% |
| 2000s | 538 | 54,913 | 1.0% |
| 2010s | 705 | 68,322 | 1.0% |
| 2020-26 | 435 | 43,563 | 1.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Colorado
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-24 | Flash FloodEvergreen, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2025-10-13 | FloodPagosa Spgs, Archuleta County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-11 | FloodArboles, Archuleta County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-11 | FloodPagosa Spgs, Archuleta County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-11 | FloodVallecito, La Plata County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-12 | Flash FloodChimney Rock, Archuleta County | 0 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2025-09-12 | Flash FloodArboles, Archuleta County | 0 | 0 | $30K | |
| 2025-09-04 | Flash FloodOrchard Mesa, Mesa County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2025-08-29 | Flash FloodStonington, Baca County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-28 | Flash FloodAroya, Cheyenne County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-08-28 | FloodArapahoe Park, Arapahoe County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-25 | Flash FloodColorado Spgs, El Paso County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Colorado
FEMA has declared 17 disasters in Colorado for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 16 were major disasters, the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4944 | Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides | 4 |
| 2023-08-25 | DR-4731 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | 14 |
| 2015-07-16 | DR-4229 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 15 |
| 2013-09-14 | DR-4145 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 18 |
| 2013-09-12 | EM-3365 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 15 |
| 1999-05-17 | DR-1276 | Co-Flooding 4/30/99 | 12 |
| 1997-08-01 | DR-1186 | Severe Storms, Heavy Rain, Flash Floods, Flooding, Mudslides | 13 |
| 1984-07-27 | DR-719 | Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding | 15 |
| 1982-07-22 | DR-665 | Flash Flood Due to Dam Failure | 1 |
| 1976-08-02 | DR-517 | Severe Storms & Flash Flooding | 4 |
| 1973-07-06 | DR-396 | Flooding & Landslides | 16 |
| 1973-05-23 | DR-385 | Heavy Rains, Snowmelt and Flooding | 16 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Denver County: the county's whole recordThe Colorado county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in ColoradoTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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