Garfield County

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by CO GS (2,353), USGS Post-Fire Debris Flows (17), NASA (10), USGS Conterminous (2), UT GRC (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jul 29, 2021Debris Flow$125 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flash flooding and debris flows occurred throughout Glenwood Canyon from the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar as a result of significant rainfall from showers and thunderstorms. Multiple mudslides were reported by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Numerous vehicles were trapped between slides for several hours. Rainfall rates in excess of 4 inches/hour were estimated with storms. Remote gauges recorded between 1 and 2 inches in less than an hour along the south and east sides of the burn scar. CDOT reported damage to the structure of Interstate 70 which remained closed for over two weeks due to cleanup operations and surveys.

2. Jul 31, 2021Debris Flow$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Multiple debris flows occurred along Interstate 70 within the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar between mile marker 123 and Hanging Lake Tunnel. Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) described the damage from the new flows as extreme. The new debris piles were around 17 feet tall over the roadway and house-sized boulders fell as well. Hanging Lake trail received considerable damage. At least seven bridges were either destroyed, washed downstream or otherwise severely damaged. National Forest officials say it will be at least late-season 2022 before the trail can be reopened.

3. Jul 1, 2023Wildfire, Debeque To Silt Corridor$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Spring Creek Fire started in late June 5 miles southwest of Parachute, and grew to 3286 acres before it was finally contained in early September. The cause of the fire is unknown.

4. Jun 24, 2023Wildfire, Debeque To Silt Corridor$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Spring Creek Fire started in late June 5 miles southwest of Parachute, and grew to 3286 acres before it was finally contained in early September. The cause of the fire is unknown.

5. Aug 1, 2023Wildfire, Debeque To Silt Corridor$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Spring Creek Fire started in late June 5 miles southwest of Parachute, and grew to 3286 acres before it was finally contained in early September. The cause of the fire is unknown.

6. Sep 1, 2023Wildfire, Debeque To Silt Corridor$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Spring Creek Fire started in late June 5 miles southwest of Parachute, and grew to 3286 acres before it was finally contained in early September. The cause of the fire is unknown.

7. Aug 1, 2018Wildfire, Gore And Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Lake Christine Fire began in early July from human causes, allegedly from tracer rounds fired at the Basalt Gun Range about a mile northwest of Basalt. Lack of rainfall and gusty winds allowed the fire to grow to a total of 12,588 acres before it was finally contained in the beginning of October. Periodic road closures were in effect as well as closed access in the White River National Forest. Numerous neighborhoods were evacuated. The fire destroyed three homes, a barn and an outbuilding. The three homes had a combined value of $2.65 million.

8. Sep 1, 2018Wildfire, Gore And Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Lake Christine fire began in early July from human causes, allegedly from tracer rounds fired at the Basalt Gun Range about mile northwest of Basalt. Lack of rainfall and gusty winds allowed the fire to grow to a total of 12,588 acres before it was finally contained in the beginning of October. Periodic road closures were in effect as well as closures in the White River National Forest. Numerous neighborhoods were evacuated. The fire destroyed three homes, a barn and an outbuilding. The three homes had a combined value of $2.65 million.

9. Jul 1, 2002Wildfire$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Coal Seam fire which began in early June (see the June 2002 Storm Data publication) was contained on July 10th. The fire destroyed 29 residences and 14 other buildings. Nearly 3000 people were evacuated from that area. The cost of fighting the fire was in excess of 7 million dollars.

10. Oct 1, 2018Wildfire, Gore And Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys$3.5 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Lake Christine Fire began in early July from human causes, allegedly from tracer rounds fired at the Basalt Gun Range about one mile northwest of Basalt. Lack of rainfall and gusty winds allowed the fire to grow to a total of 12,588 acres before it was finally contained in early October. Periodic road closures were in effect as well as closures in the White River National Forest. Numerous neighborhoods were evacuated. The fire destroyed three homes, a barn and an outbuilding. The three homes had a combined value of $2.65 million.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

104°FJul 9, 2021

All-time low

−21°FDec 22, 1998

Warmest night

70°FJul 20, 2010

Coldest day

7°FDec 22, 1998

Wettest day

1.45 inJun 21, 2019

Hottest year

2025mean 52.2°F

Coldest year

2008mean 47.3°F

Wettest year

200516.37 in

Driest year

20203.28 in

Station Rifle Garfield County Airport (USW00003016), 5,525 ft elevation, 9.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1997 to October 26, 2026; 97.2% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00003016.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.