Storm risk in Boulder County, Colorado

FEMA's overall hazard score for Boulder County is 90.71 (Relatively Moderate), 293rd of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 98.41 (Relatively High), strong wind 85.97 (Relatively High) and tornado 92.59 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $132 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 146 hail reports in Boulder County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Boulder County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of CO$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $132 per $1 million, 374th of 3,126 rated counties$132Hail374th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $11 per $1 million, 2,109th of 3,121 rated counties$11Strong wind2,109th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $177 per $1 million, 1,684th of 3,144 rated counties$177Tornado1,684th of 3,144 counties
  • Boulder County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Boulder County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in CO
OverallRelatively Moderate 90.71293 of 3,1446 of 64
HailRelatively High 98.4151 of 3,1268 of 64
Strong windRelatively High 85.97442 of 3,12610 of 64
TornadoRelatively High 92.59234 of 3,1268 of 64

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$9,213,860$132 $86$22 374 of 3,12621 of 64
Strong wind$794,709$11 $8.18$20 2,109 of 3,12124 of 64
Tornado$12,394,878$177 $60$199 1,684 of 3,14421 of 64

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Boulder County

  • FEMA expects hail in Boulder County to cost $132 per $1 million of buildings a year: 5.90 times the U.S. median and 1.53 times the CO county median, ranked 374th of 3,126 counties nationally and 21st of 64 in Colorado.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Boulder County to cost $11 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.56 times the U.S. median and 1.39 times the CO county median, ranked 2,109th of 3,121 counties nationally and 24th of 64 in Colorado.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Boulder County to cost $177 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.89 times the U.S. median and 2.98 times the CO county median, ranked 1,684th of 3,144 counties nationally and 21st of 64 in Colorado.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $713,900 home, the average yearly loss in Boulder County is about $94 for hail and $8.12 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $16 and $15.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Boulder County meets about 50.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1986, the median home in Boulder County is 40 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 74.9% of its 142,809 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 81 of the 146 hail reports in Boulder County (55 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Boulder County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$94hail, a year; $16 at the U.S. median county rate
$8.12strong wind, a year; $15 at the U.S. median county rate
$2,046hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Boulder County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $9,213,860 ÷ $69,860,315,788 = 0.0001319. Wind: $794,709 ÷ $69,860,315,788 = 0.0000114. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Boulder County in plain numbers

  • Boulder County scores 90.71 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 293rd of 3,144 rated counties and 6th of 64 in Colorado.
  • Hail scores 98.41 (Relatively High). FEMA expects $9,213,860 of hail damage to buildings in Boulder County a year, which is $132 per $1 million of buildings, 5.90 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 85.97 (Relatively High) with $794,709 of expected yearly building loss in Boulder County: $11 per $1 million of buildings, 0.56 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 92.59 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $12,394,878, counting everything exposed, or $177 per $1 million of buildings in Boulder County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Boulder County averages 5.48 hail events and 1.00 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 146 hail reports in Boulder County between 2014 and June 2026, on 30 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 3 inches.
  • In Boulder County, FEMA counts buildings worth 69.86 billion dollars and 330,652 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Very Low in Boulder County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 330,652 residents.
  • 2 cities in Boulder County are covered on this site: Boulder, Longmont. 18 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Boulder is $7,560 to $16,740.
  • Boulder County ranks 26 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 99 for wind and 119 for tornado.
  • In Boulder County, June is the busiest month with 52 of the 146 reports (36 percent), against 0 reports in December.
  • Boulder County's worst year was 2018, with 7 hail days at 1 inch or more and 45 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 2.50 such days a year, one about every 4.8 months.
  • The median home in Boulder County was built in 1986; 41.5% of its 142,809 housing units date from before 1980, 74.9% from before 2000 and 12.6% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Boulder County at $713,900, and 62.5% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 7,730 single-family building permits were issued in Boulder County from 2014 to 2025, about 54.1 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2018.
  • NOAA lists 1 tornado track in Boulder County since 2014; the strongest was an EF3 on June 4, 2015 near Highland, 5.84 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Boulder County is 72 mph on March 30, 2014 at Longmont.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Denver County, 36 miles from the centre of Boulder County; its hail score is 99.87.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 20 roofing contractor establishments in Boulder County in 2023, one for every 7,140 homes.
  • FEMA has named Boulder County in 5 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 776 days before its data end, and 0 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Boulder County, year by year

NOAA logged 146 reports in Boulder County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 30 days. That is 2.5 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Boulder County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more010203040502014: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch142015: 10 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch152016: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch162017: 2 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch172018: 45 reports, 7 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3 inch182019: 42 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch192020: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch202021: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch222023: 9 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch232024: 7 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 16 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Boulder County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 0 reports0MarApril: 0 reports0AprMay: 29 reports29MayJune: 52 reports52JunJuly: 40 reports40JulAugust: 13 reports13AugSeptember: 10 reports10SepOctober: 2 reports2OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: June, 52 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20145201.5 in–
201510312.5 in–
20161101 in–
20172000.88 in–
201845713 in–
201942412.5 in–
20202101 in–
20212101 in–
20225201 in–
20239411.75 in–
20247101 in–
202516401 in–

Biggest hail days in Boulder County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
June 18, 20183 in23none recordedSuperior
July 5, 20192.5 in24none recordedLouisville
June 4, 20152.5 in5none recordedLyons
May 9, 20231.75 in4none recordedLongmont
September 11, 20191.5 in9none recordedLafayette

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Boulder County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Boulder County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2.5 in hail2.5 in hail2.5 in hail2.5 in hail3 in hail Boulder
  • 881 to 1.74 in
  • 211.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 12.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 3 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

110 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Boulder County

Fastest gusts in Boulder County

DateGustNear
March 30, 201472 mphLongmont
August 4, 201770 mphNiwot
August 3, 201867 mphGold Hill
August 3, 201864 mphBoulder

Strongest tornado tracks in Boulder County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
June 4, 2015EF35.84 mi0 / 0Highland

1 tornado track in all since 2014; the strongest 1 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Boulder County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 2.50 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Boulder County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 6.2% of homes6.2%<19402281940s: 1.4% of homes1.4%1940s2021950s: 5.0% of homes5%1950s1781960s: 9.9% of homes9.9%1960s1521970s: 19.1% of homes19.1%1970s1281980s: 14.7% of homes14.7%1980s1021990s: 18.7% of homes18.7%1990s782000s: 12.5% of homes12.5%2000s522010s: 11.2% of homes11.2%2010s282020+: 1.5% of homes1.5%2020+8

Bars: share of 142,809 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1986
Built before 198041.5%
Built before 200074.9%
Built since 201012.6%
Owner-occupied62.5%
Median home value$713,900
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20257,730
Permits per 1,000 homes54.1

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Boulder County

Roofing firms in Boulder County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202320
Change since 2016-5 (-20%)
Homes per roofing firm7,140
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023249

Source for Boulder County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

FEMA disaster declarations naming Boulder County since 2014

Declarations naming Boulder County5
Storm / flood / winter / fire0 / 1 / 0 / 4
Median CO county1
Rank among 23 CO counties1
Days from the latest to the data cutoff776

Source for Boulder County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Boulder County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Denver County, CO36 Relatively High $5183.92$8.900.78168
Larimer County, CO39 Relatively Moderate $1331.01$4.370.38201
Jefferson County, CO40 Relatively High $5023.80$8.660.76209
Adams County, CO55 Relatively Moderate $4713.57$9.120.80170
Weld County, CO63 Relatively Moderate $1331.01$151.30480
El Paso County, CO97 Relatively Moderate $1361.03$8.990.79869

More Colorado counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Boulder County

2 cities in this county are on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 18 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Boulder 80301 (100%), 80302 (100%), 80305 (100%) Roofers
Longmont 80514 (0%), 80501 (100%), 80503 (98%), 80504 (41%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Boulder County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

Start an inspection request

Questions

How high is storm risk in Boulder County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Boulder County an overall score of 90.71 (Relatively Moderate), 293rd of 3,144. Hail scores 98.41 (Relatively High), strong wind 85.97 (Relatively High) and tornado 92.59 (Relatively High).

In Boulder County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 146 for Boulder County between 2014 and June 2026, on 30 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 3 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Boulder County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $713,900: FEMA's estimate is about $94 a year for hail and $8.12 for wind, before any deductible, against $16 and $15 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Boulder County compare with the rest of Colorado?

Per $1 million of buildings Boulder County loses $132 to hail a year, against $86 in the median county of the state. Among 64 rated counties it is 8th for hail, 10th for strong wind and 8th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Boulder County?

The median home was built in 1986, 40 years ago, and 74.9% of the 142,809 housing units in Boulder County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Boulder County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Boulder County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Boulder County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Boulder County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Boulder County. Planning-level information about Boulder County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).