Colorado heat wave risk
El Paso County has the highest heat wave risk in Colorado, scoring 77.7 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Low" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Paso County | 77.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 2 | Adams County | 76.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 3 | Denver County | 71.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 4 | Jefferson County | 71 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 5 | Arapahoe County | 68.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 6 | Boulder County | 60.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 7 | Weld County | 60.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 8 | Mesa County | 59.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 9 | Larimer County | 58.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 10 | Pueblo County | 56 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 11 | Douglas County | 54.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 12 | Fremont County | 39.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 13 | Garfield County | 36.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 14 | Broomfield County | 30.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 15 | Otero County | 27.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 16 | Montezuma County | 25.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 17 | Las Animas County | 25.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 18 | Logan County | 19.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 19 | Delta County | 18.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 20 | Morgan County | 18.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 21 | Huerfano County | 18.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 22 | Prowers County | 16.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 23 | Montrose County | 15.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 24 | Alamosa County | 15.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 25 | Rio Grande County | 15.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 26 | Crowley County | 11 | Very Low | 0 |
| 27 | Elbert County | 9.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 28 | Washington County | 9.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 29 | Conejos County | 9.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Saguache County | 8.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 31 | Bent County | 7.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 32 | Chaffee County | 7.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 33 | San Miguel County | 7.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 34 | Phillips County | 7.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 35 | La Plata County | 6.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 36 | Yuma County | 6.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 37 | Dolores County | 6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 38 | Costilla County | 5.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 39 | Lincoln County | 5.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 40 | Sedgwick County | 5.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Kit Carson County | 5.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Baca County | 3.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Archuleta County | 3.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Custer County | 3.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | Cheyenne County | 3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Kiowa County | 2.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Teller County | 2.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Gunnison County | 2.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Rio Blanco County | 2.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Moffat County | 1.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Ouray County | 1.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Park County | 1.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Clear Creek County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 54 | Eagle County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 55 | Gilpin County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 56 | Grand County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 57 | Hinsdale County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 58 | Jackson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 59 | Lake County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 60 | Mineral County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 61 | Pitkin County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 62 | Routt County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 63 | San Juan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 64 | Summit County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Colorado:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in Colorado?
El Paso County, CO has the highest heat wave risk in Colorado, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 77.7 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Low").
What causes heat wave risk in Colorado?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.