Natural disaster risk in San Juan County, Colorado

Colorado · population 699 · FIPS 08111

Overall: very low risk

San Juan County has a composite risk score of 10.7 out of 100 — higher than 10% of US counties. It ranks 52 of 64 in Colorado (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, landslide, lightning.

Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 36 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 2.76% of San Juan County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 36 weeks in a row. In all, 22.99% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in San Juan 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Very low 10.7
Expected annual loss
About $6.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Very low 21.8
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 47.3

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in San Juan County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Avalanche Very high 95
Landslide Relatively low 64
Lightning Relatively low 36
Wildfire Very low 33
Earthquake Very low 10
Inland (riverine) flooding Very low 4
Winter weather Very low 4
Hail Very low 1
Tornado Very low 1
Ice storm Very low 0
Strong wind Very low 0
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Cold wave No rating
Drought No rating
Heat wave No rating
Hurricane Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for San Juan County

Federal declarations that designated San Juan 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 San Juan 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 San Juan County, Colorado?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in San Juan County as very low, with a score of 10.7 out of 100 (higher than 10% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in San Juan County?

The hazards rated highest for San Juan County are avalanche (very high), landslide (relatively low), lightning (relatively low).

What is the flood risk in San Juan County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in San Juan County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has San Juan County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names San Juan County.

Is San Juan County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 2.76% of San Juan County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 36 weeks in a row. In all, 22.99% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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