Douglas County, CO Environment & Hazard Risk

• LightningVery High$7.55M/yr expected annual loss, about 59 events a year
• HailRelatively High$12.89M/yr expected annual loss, about 7.5 events a year
• WildfireRelatively High$25.74M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 160 years
• Winter weatherVery High$1.34M/yr expected annual loss, about 18 events a year
• TornadoRelatively High$14.49M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Strong windRelatively High$3.72M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.0 events a year
• LandslideRelatively Low$19.68K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Volcanic activityVery Low$85/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10,000 years
• Cold waveRelatively Low$2.45M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• EarthquakeRelatively Low$779K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,842 years
• Heat waveRelatively Low$702K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
• Ice stormRelatively Low$90.32K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 67 years
• DroughtRelatively Low$57.46K/yr expected annual loss, about 24 events a year
• AvalancheVery Low$11/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

311 of 111,154 (0.3%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

71

Insured in high-risk zones

14 (20%)

Flood claims since 1978

70

Claims paid since 1978

$661K

• Hail367
• High Wind248
• Winter Storm228
• Winter Weather225 · 3 deaths
• Heavy Snow149
• Thunderstorm Wind47 · 1 death
• Flash Flood41
• Blizzard28 · 2 deaths
• Lightning26 · 1 death
• Tornado18

• Cold/Wind Chill12/19/1998

  Denver Metropolitan Area

  3 deaths, 15 injured

  What happened

  An Arctic airmass settled in over northeastern Colorado dropping overnight temperatures well below zero for 6 consecutive days. Overnight temperatures bottomed out at 19 degrees below zero on the morning of the 22nd. At least 15 people, mostly homeless, were treated for hypothermia at area hospitals. The bitter cold weather was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for at least 5 fatalities. Three of the victims died directly from exposure. The cold weather also caused intermittent power outages. Following the cold snap, thawing water pipes cracked and burst in several homes and business causing extensive damage. No estimate of the damage, however, was available.

• Wildfire03/26/2012

  Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / NE Park Counties Below 9000 Feet

  3 deaths, $11M damage

  What happened

  Strong southwest winds ahead of an approaching cold front produced high to extreme fire danger across the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. As a result, a 50-acre prescribed burn that had been conducted the previous week reignited in the foothills of Jefferson County, southwest of Denver. The strong wind gusts carried embers from the interior of the burn area, across containment lines and into very dry fuels which initiated the wildfire. It then spread into the crowns of the trees and driven by the strong winds, quickly advanced to the northeast onto private lands. Local firefighters immediately responded to the wildfire, but were unable to contain it, due to the extreme winds and dry and abundant fuels. ||The combination of very strong winds, record warm temperatures and extremely dry conditions for month of March; all contributed to a rapid increase in fire growth during the afternoon of March 26th. A total of 900 homes were evacuated on the 26th. The wildfire scorched a total of 4,150 acres; it destroyed 27 homes and resulted in the deaths of three local residents. The property damage alone was estimated to be $11 million. The Lower North Fork wildfire,...

• Winter Weather03/01/2014

  N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County

  1 death, 30 injured

  What happened

  A band of heavy snow, produced around one inch in less than 30 minutes, contributed to a chain of accidents in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25, between Logan Street and University Boulevard. The combination of excessive speed and very poor driving conditions led the chain reaction; it involved 104 vehicles and resulted in one death along with 30 injuries. The interstate was closed for approximately 5 hours.

• Blizzard12/20/2006

  N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County

  2 deaths

  What happened

  Storm totals along the Urban Corridor included: 34 inches, 10 miles south-southeast of Buckley AFB, 32 inches at Littleton, 30 inches near Castle Rock and Thornton, 29.5 inches near Parker, 28 inches at Wheat Ridge, 26 inches at Castle Rock, 25.5 inches at Centenniel, 25 inches at Niwot, 24 inches at Aurora, near Loveland and Ralston Reservoir, 22.5 inches at Greenwood Village, 22 inches at Arvada, 21.5 inches at Lakewood, 21 inches at Fort Collins, 20 inches at Longmont, with 15.5 inches in Boulder. |Peak wind gusts included: 55 mph at Denver International Airport, 46 mph at Elbert, 48 mph at Fort Collins/Loveland, 41 mph near Wellington and 40 mph at Centenniel.|

• Winter Weather11/04/2022

  N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County

  20 injured

  What happened

  Icy road conditions resulted in a 100-car pileup along 6th Ave. It forced the closure of the roadway for several hours.

• Winter Weather11/15/2010

  Elbert / C & E Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet

  18 injured

  What happened

  A combination of light snow, blowing snow, black ice and careless driving resulted in a 34-vehicle crash along Interstate 25 near Monument. Five tractor-trailers were involved in the pileup. Although there were no fatalities, 18 people were seriously injured and taken to nearby hospitals. The northbound lanes of the interstate were closed for several hours, snarling traffic between Denver and Colorado Springs.

• Hail1" hail07/28/2026

  Castle Rock, Douglas County

• Hail0.75" hail07/28/2026

  Castle Rock, Douglas County

• Hail1.5" hail06/08/2026

  The Pinery, Douglas County

• Hail1" hail06/08/2026

  Parker, Douglas County

• Hail1.25" hail06/08/2026

  The Pinery, Douglas County

• Thunderstorm Wind57 kt wind06/08/2026

  Highlands Ranch, Douglas County

• Hail1" hail06/03/2026

  Franktown, Douglas County

• Hail0.88" hail06/01/2026

  Parker, Douglas County

• Castle Rock Town ofServes 110,298 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+8 monitoring or reporting
• Highlands Ranch WsdServes 103,444 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Parker WsdServes 75,949 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+7 monitoring or reporting
• Meridian MDServes 23,415 · Purchased surface water · PrivateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Stonegate MDServes 15,295 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Roxborough WsdServes 13,765 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Pinery WwdServes 12,901 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
• Castle Pines North MDServes 12,800 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+5 monitoring or reporting