Natural disaster risk in El Paso County, Colorado
Colorado · population 729,693 · FIPS 08041
Overall: relatively moderate risk
El Paso County has a composite risk score of 94.1 out of 100 — higher than 94% of US counties. It ranks 3 of 64 in Colorado (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, lightning, hail.
Drought now: Yes: D4 Exceptional Drought, 5 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 11.16% of El Paso County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 87.82% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in El Paso County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively moderate 94.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $212.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 96.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 58 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in El Paso County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Very high 98 |
| Hail | Relatively high 99 |
| Wildfire | Relatively high 99 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 96 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 94 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 90 |
| Avalanche | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 64 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 77 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 75 |
| Drought | Relatively low 44 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 71 |
| Landslide | Very low 42 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for El Paso County
Federal declarations that designated El Paso County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names El Paso County.
All FEMA declarations in Colorado, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in El Paso County, Colorado?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in El Paso County as relatively moderate, with a score of 94.1 out of 100 (higher than 94% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in El Paso County?
The hazards rated highest for El Paso County are winter weather (very high), lightning (very high), hail (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in El Paso County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in El Paso County as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has El Paso County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names El Paso County.
Is El Paso County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 11.16% of El Paso County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 87.82% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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