Key facts: Colorado Springs
- Wildfires raised flood risk here: after burned slopes lose their soil cover, storms run off quickly into Fountain Creek's tributaries.[1]
- Front Range storms can open shingles in minutes, and rain follows.
- Inspect after any hail, ideally with a roofer.
Hail and roofs
Front Range storms can open shingles in minutes, and rain follows. Inspect after any hail, ideally with a roofer.
Cold at altitude
Hard freezes test pipes in garages and basements. Keep heat on when away, and know your shutoff.
Flood claims recorded in El Paso County
Colorado Springs sits in El Paso County. FEMA publishes every National Flood Insurance Program claim with personal details removed, which gives a plain record of where water has reached insured buildings here.
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| Flood insurance claims on record | 857 |
| Year with the most claims | 2013 (207) |
| Largest named event | Late Summer Storms (137) |
| Claims outside high-risk A and V zones | 60% |
| Claims on buildings built before 1975 | 58% |
County-wide counts of insured claims only. Uninsured losses, burst pipes and appliance leaks are not in this data.
What the Colorado Springs claim record shows
For Colorado Springs homes, the local precedents are the events behind the most El Paso County claims: Late Summer Storms (137 claims) and Flooding (3 claims).
About 60% of claims with a recorded zone came from outside the high-risk A and V zones, so a moderate-risk label does not mean a Colorado Springs home stays dry.
If your Colorado Springs home is older, note that buildings from before 1975 make up 58% of county claims with a known build date. Many predate current flood maps, so inspect low outlets, ductwork and subfloors closely after any water event.
Federal disaster history for El Paso County
FEMA lists 20 federal declarations covering El Paso County. The most common types are flood (7), fire (5) and biological (2). The latest are Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes in 2023, Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 and Covid-19 in 2020. When a declaration is open, federal aid may be available to Colorado Springs residents, so ask about it alongside your insurance claim.
Colorado Springs weather and your home
Weather records for Colorado Springs from 2015 through 2024 average 16 inches of precipitation a year, and May and July are the wettest months. The area averages 1.5 days a year with an inch or more.
Colorado Springs falls to 20°F or below on about 67 nights a year, which puts pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and garages at risk.
When rain falls in Colorado Springs
Seasonal averages for Colorado Springs, 2015 through 2024. Plan roof, gutter and sump pump checks before the wettest stretch.
| Season | Average | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | 3.2 in | 19% |
| April to June | 6.5 in | 40% |
| July to September | 4.4 in | 27% |
| October to December | 2.3 in | 14% |
Modeled from Open-Meteo historical weather data. Precipitation includes rain and melted snow.
Colorado Springs home checklist from these records
- Don't rely on recent quiet years. Only 30% of El Paso County claims date from 2015 or later, so older floods still show what can happen.
- Insulate exposed pipes before 67-plus hard-freeze nights arrive, and know your main shutoff.
- Check roof flashing and drains before May, the wettest month in Colorado Springs.
- Keep dated photos of each room. After Late Summer Storms, 137 insured El Paso County owners filed claims at about the same time.
What to tell the Colorado Springs contractor
- Whether hail hit the roof
- Whether you're below a burn scar
- Whether a pipe froze
Services Colorado Springs callers ask about
Questions
Colorado Springs water damage questions
Why would a burned hillside flood my home?
Burned soil sheds water, so runoff arrives fast and carries debris.
Do you cover all of Colorado Springs?
Coverage on file includes 31 ZIP codes here.