Ouray County

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 (710), NASA (1), USGS Conterminous (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 31, 1999Flash Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall at the headwaters of Dallas Creek and Pleasant Valley Creek resulted in flash flooding all the way downstream to Ridgway Reservoir. In some areas the rushing water was nearly 20 feet higher than the normal stream flow. The flash flooding damaged or destroyed several county bridges, destroyed a foot bridge, damaged about two miles of County Road 24, flooded a few residences, damaged a number of outbuildings, and carried away or flooded several vehicles. The water also flooded part of a golf course. A family was rescued from the loft of a barn from which they were trapped by the rising flood waters. Miraculously, the only livestock fatalities were a chicken and an…

2. Jul 8, 2018Debris Flow$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Around 4 to 10 feet of mud and rock covered Colorado Highway 550 about 2 miles south of Ouray as a result of heavy rainfall. A section of the highway and cribwall that supports the highway were destroyed from the rock slides and debris flows that occurred. Highway 550 was closed for almost 24 hours until the debris was removed, and then the highway was limited to one lane for many weeks thereafter as the road was repaired.

3. Jan 6, 2005Avalanche, Northwestern San Juan Mountains$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A prolonged period of moderate to heavy snow and strong winds resulted in one of the most widespread natural avalanche cycles in decades. The snow started Friday night 1/7, and effectively cleared out Wednesday morning, 1/12. Many avalanche paths ran full track, taking out mature timber, and several slides came out that haven't affected area roads in years. Avalanches caused closures of Red Mountain, Molas and Coal Bank Passes among other road closures. The spree of avalanches closed Red Mountain Pass for nearly a week before plow drivers broke through the last 30 feet to 40 feet of snow covering the road. One slide struck a Front Range Wireless/Verizon Cell building that had been…

4. Jul 27, 2010Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in the area of Dexter Creek and Skyrocket Creek north of Ouray, as well as along Cascade Creek in Ouray. In some sections of Dexter Creek, the flash flood waters were nearly 20 feet deep. A section of road was washed out and the remaining buildings from the abandoned Old Maid Mine and town, built in the late 1800s, were completely obliterated with only some foundations remaining. An enormous amount of debris flowed through and collected in sections of Dexter Creek, which is the main water source for many residents in Ouray County. In particular, log jams and boulders the size of large trucks clogged a quarter-mile section of Dexter Creek,…

5. Aug 9, 2008Flash Flood$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A flash flood came down Corbett Creek leaving a debris fan several hundred yards long, 300 feet wide and five feet deep. A house on Whispering Pines Drive sustained extensive damage to the foundation and exterior, with the deck having been ripped off. Another house on Chipmunk Way had debris up to a half foot deep into the basement and garage, and a deposit of debris up to 2 feet deep on the deck and against the house. A family of hikers on the Dallas Trail became stranded when their parked car was washed away. Their car was a total loss. Another car was carried away from a driveway and dropped over a short cliff. A boulder the size of a small car fell onto nearby Highway 550.…

6. May 28, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A mobile home was rolled a few times and destroyed by severe thunderstorm outflow winds. A pole barn also lost part of it's roof. No injuries were reported.

7. Jul 20, 2017Flash Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding and mudslides southwest of the town of Ouray. The costliest flash flood in the impacted area tore up a section of County Road 361 where new construction had just been completed. The crib wall, culverts, and other cement road structures were damaged beyond repair. Additionally, several culverts along County Road 361 became clogged by debris. Flash flooding with tons of debris deposits also occurred further down on Yankee Boy Road where 26 mudslides occurred. Additional mudslides and flooding also came down across Corkscrew Road. Radar estimated rainfall was between 0.50 to 1.00 inches at the time.

8. Jul 28, 1999Flash Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding across US Highway 550 deposited a large amount of rocks and other debris on the road. A section of the road shoulder was washed down the cliffs to the river 400 feet below the road. A crib wall along the cliff which is used to reinforce the road was partially washed out.

9. Sep 29, 2019High Wind, Northwestern San Juan Mountains$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A trained weather spotter in Telluride had estimated wind gusts up to 60 MPH. These high winds led to a mature tree becoming uprooted. The tree fell on a nearby truck and broke the windshield and smashed the front of the vehicle.

10. Jul 26, 1998Flash Flood$20,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rainfall caused a wall of water filled with boulders, logs, and sediment to race down Weehawken Creek, then into Canyon Creek, and finally into Box Canyon. A parked car near the Weehawken trailhead was half buried in mud and a 20-foot section of catwalk near Box Canyon Falls was destroyed. The flash flood also cut out a new channel near Box Canyon Falls.

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

99°FJul 18, 2023

All-time low

−36°FFeb 1, 1985

Warmest night

64°FJun 22, 2002

Coldest day

2°FFeb 7, 1989

Wettest day

1.90 inSep 11, 1988

Snowiest day

18.0 inFeb 18, 1984

Hottest year

2025mean 46.6°F

Coldest year

1984mean 40.4°F

Wettest year

198520.86 in

Driest year

19899.88 in

Snowiest season

127.0 in2007-08

Station Ridgway (USC00057020), 7,049 ft elevation, 0.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1982 to October 24, 2026; 97.9% 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 USC00057020.
• 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.