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Laramie County, Wyoming

Natural disaster risk, federal disaster history and flood insurance facts.

Relatively Low overall risk
1st of 23highest risk in Wyoming
$42Mexpected losses a year
3federal declarations
1 in 200homes with flood insurance
Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, public domain

Laramie County, Wyoming has a relatively low overall risk from natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Its risk score is higher than 77% of US counties. It ranks 1st of 23 counties in Wyoming. The costliest hazards here are inland flooding, cold waves and tornadoes. FEMA estimates about $42 million a year in expected losses, or roughly $416 per resident. Since 1979 it has been included in 3 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events (2 major disasters). The most recent was in March 2024 (Happy Jack Fire). Fewer than 1 in 100 homes here carry federal flood insurance (217 policies). Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid about $970,000 on 192 claims here.

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; OpenFEMA declarations to Nov 6, 2026; NFIP records. Updated November 6, 2026.

Top risks in Laramie County

$13.3 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 2 times a year.
  • Check the FEMA flood map for your address, and ask the seller or landlord about past flooding.
  • Price a flood policy now. Most new federal policies take 30 days to start.
$10.9 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 3 times a year.
  • Insulate pipes in outside walls, crawl spaces and garages.
  • Know how to shut off the main water valve.

Tornado

Moderate
$7.3 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 2 times a year.
  • Pick a shelter spot: a basement, or an inside room on the lowest floor with no windows.
  • Turn on emergency alerts on your phone and keep a weather radio.
HazardRatingScoreExpected loss a year
Inland floodingLow67.0
$13M
Cold waveHigh93.4
$11M
TornadoModerate88.4
$7M
HailModerate92.5
$2M
WildfireModerate91.9
$2M
LightningHigh89.1
$1M
Ice stormHigh91.5
$1M
Strong windModerate71.0
$1M
Winter weatherVery High97.1
$1M
EarthquakeLow70.0
$903K
Heat waveVery Low19.2
$66K
DroughtVery Low27.9
$21K
LandslideVery Low42.7
$914
AvalancheVery Low1.6
$0

Scores are percentiles: a score of 90 means higher risk than about 90% of US counties for that hazard. Hazards FEMA does not rate here are left out. Social vulnerability is relatively low and community resilience is relatively moderate in FEMA's measures.

Federal disaster history

Recent disasters nationwide ›

Declarations by decade

Federal declarations for natural events that included Laramie County. 2020s bar runs to November 2026.

By type

Tornado1
Flood1
Fire1

Most recent

Mar 1, 2024Happy Jack FireFire management
Aug 7, 1985Severe Storms, Hail & FloodingMajor disaster
Jul 19, 1979Severe Storms & TornadoesMajor disaster

Wyoming also had 5 statewide declarations that did not name single counties.

Storm history since 1953

Tornado risk by county ›

The National Weather Service has logged 1,604 storm reports in Laramie County since 1953, with 1 death and 46 injuries and about $69.8 million in reported damage. The strongest on record here was an F3 tornado on July 16, 1979.

133tornadoes
1,113hail reports, largest 5 inches
244damaging thunderstorm winds
98floods and flash floods

Strongest tornadoes

DateStrengthNearHurt / killed
Jul 16, 1979F3–40 / 1
Apr 23, 1960F3–1 / 0
May 18, 2010EF2Burns0 / 0
May 24, 1990F2–0 / 0
May 29, 1976F2–0 / 0

Most damaging storms

DateTypeNearDamage
Aug 26, 2002HailCheyenne$30M
Jul 16, 1979Tornado–$25M
Jul 13, 1996HailCheyenne$4M
Jul 31, 1996HailCheyenne$3M
Aug 29, 1996HailCheyenne$2M
Jul 13, 1996HailAlbin$1M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county-based reports through Jul 28, 2026. Tornado records start in 1950, hail and wind in 1955, and floods and other storm types in 1996, so older decades undercount. Damage is in dollars of the year it happened and is often an estimate. Winter storms, heat and hurricanes are logged by forecast zone, not county, so they are not counted here.

Flood insurance in Laramie County

Check your address flood zone ›
0.5%of homes have federal flood insurance (217 policies)
18.5%of homes in mapped high-risk flood zones are insured
$969,918paid on 192 flood claims since 1978
1985costliest year, with $592,692 paid

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) records only; private flood policies are not included. Home counts as of Aug 3, 2026. Since 2021 NFIP prices each home separately under Risk Rating 2.0, so your price depends on the building, not the county. Ask an agent for a quote.

Homes in Laramie County

$348,700median home value (Wyoming $309,700, US $332,700)
1980median year homes were built (Wyoming 1981, US 1980)
50%of homes built before 1980, before many modern wind, quake and flood building rules
8%of homes are mobile homes, which are the least safe in tornadoes and high winds

Older homes and mobile homes usually suffer more damage in storms, floods and earthquakes, and can cost more to insure. If you are buying, ask about roof age, foundation bolting and any retrofits. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates; 45,659 housing units.

Compare in Wyoming

All 23 ›
Largest countiesOverall riskTop hazard
Laramie CountyLowInland flooding
Natrona CountyLowInland flooding
Campbell CountyLowCold wave
Sweetwater CountyVery LowInland flooding
Fremont CountyLowInland flooding
Albany CountyLowInland flooding
Sheridan CountyLowInland flooding
Park CountyLowInland flooding

Neighboring counties

CountyOverall riskDeclarations
Larimer County, COModerate28
Weld County, COModerate14
Albany CountyLow8
Goshen CountyVery Low3
Platte CountyVery Low6
Kimball County, NEVery Low6
Banner County, NEVery Low6

Cities in Laramie County

Common questions about Laramie County

What is the biggest natural hazard in Laramie County?

Inland flooding has the highest expected yearly losses in Laramie County, about $13.3 million a year in FEMA's estimate. Cold wave is second at $10.9 million.

How many federal disasters has Laramie County had?

Laramie County has been included in 3 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events since 1979, including 2 major disasters. The most recent was Happy Jack Fire in March 2024.

Is Laramie County a high-risk place to live?

Its overall rating is Relatively Low, 1st highest of 23 in Wyoming. A county rating covers the whole area. Risk at one address can be much higher or lower, so check the FEMA flood map and ask about the home's history.

Do I need flood insurance in Laramie County?

Standard home insurance does not cover flooding. About 1 in 200 homes in Laramie County has federal flood insurance. Lenders require it in mapped high-risk zones, but many flood claims come from outside those zones.

How many tornadoes has Laramie County had?

NOAA records list 133 tornadoes in Laramie County since 1950. The strongest was an F3 tornado on July 16, 1979. The weather service has also logged 1,113 hail reports and 98 floods here.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, and NFIP policy and claims data. Hazard Compass is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. These figures describe the whole county, not a single property, and are not insurance or safety advice. Report a problem.