Natural disaster risk in Pitkin County, Colorado
Colorado · population 17,292 · FIPS 08097
Overall: relatively low risk
Pitkin County has a composite risk score of 54.1 out of 100 — higher than 54% of US counties. It ranks 18 of 64 in Colorado (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, landslide, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D4 Exceptional Drought, 43 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 80.25% of Pitkin County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 43 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Pitkin 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 low 54.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $26.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 69.1 |
| 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 high 69 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Pitkin County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very high 98 |
| Landslide | Relatively high 98 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 76 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 58 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 52 |
| Earthquake | Very low 38 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 32 |
| Drought | Very low 22 |
| Ice storm | Very low 10 |
| Tornado | Very low 6 |
| Hail | Very low 5 |
| Cold wave | Very low 3 |
| Strong wind | Very low 3 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Heat wave | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Pitkin County
Federal declarations that designated Pitkin 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 Pitkin 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 Pitkin County, Colorado?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pitkin County as relatively low, with a score of 54.1 out of 100 (higher than 54% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Pitkin County?
The hazards rated highest for Pitkin County are avalanche (very high), landslide (relatively high), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Pitkin County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Pitkin County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Pitkin County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Pitkin County.
Is Pitkin County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 80.25% of Pitkin County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 43 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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