Natural disaster risk in Rio Blanco County, Colorado
Colorado · population 6,520 · FIPS 08103
Overall: very low risk
Rio Blanco County has a composite risk score of 37.6 out of 100 — higher than 37% of US counties. It ranks 32 of 64 in Colorado (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, landslide, wildfire.
Drought now: Yes: D4 Exceptional Drought, 30 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.11% of Rio Blanco County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 30 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Rio Blanco 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. |
Very low 37.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $10.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 38.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 48.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 52.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Rio Blanco County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Relatively high 91 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 50 |
| Drought | Relatively low 34 |
| Earthquake | Very low 40 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 25 |
| Hail | Very low 11 |
| Cold wave | Very low 10 |
| Winter weather | Very low 9 |
| Ice storm | Very low 6 |
| Strong wind | Very low 3 |
| Tornado | Very low 3 |
| Heat wave | Very low 2 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Rio Blanco County
Federal declarations that designated Rio Blanco County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Rio Blanco County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5604-CO (Elk Fire), declared 6 Aug 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5604-CO | Fire management | Elk Fire | 6 Aug 2025 | No |
| FM-5603-CO | Fire management | Lee Fire | 6 Aug 2025 | No |
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 Rio Blanco County, Colorado?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Rio Blanco County as very low, with a score of 37.6 out of 100 (higher than 37% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Rio Blanco County?
The hazards rated highest for Rio Blanco County are avalanche (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Rio Blanco County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Rio Blanco County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Rio Blanco County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Rio Blanco County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5604-CO (Elk Fire), declared 6 Aug 2025.
Is Rio Blanco County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.11% of Rio Blanco County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 30 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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