Weld County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Weld County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 83.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 15 flood losses here since 2016. 30% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2001.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Weld County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 33.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 17.4% |
| Mapped soil | 2,573,561 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Ascalon | 11% | n/a |
| Olney | 10% | n/a |
| Valent | 8% | n/a |
| Vona | 7% | n/a |
| Nunn | 5% | n/a |
| Kim | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO617 (2025-08-29), CO618 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.47 in, 3.97 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.44 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Weld County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
83.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 weeks, most recently on the August 25, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 83.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 51.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 23.4% |
| D4 exceptional | 7% |
Flood losses since 2016
15 flood losses since 2016, $140,874 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.44 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.47 in (-3.97) |
| 2025 | 15.29 in (+0.85) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 22.11 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 7.26 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GREELEY UNC (20 mi away) | 2.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 129,637 |
| Median year built | 2001 |
| Built before 1980 | 30% |
| Built 2000 or later | 52% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $471,700 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, CO | 36 mi | 10% | 3% |
| Adams County, CO | 47 mi | 11% | 2% |
| Laramie County, WY | 53 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 54 mi | 46% | 1% |
| Kimball County, NE | 57 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Larimer County, CO | 58 mi | 6% | 4% |
| Denver County, CO | 61 mi | 15% | 3% |
| Boulder County, CO | 62 mi | 9% | 6% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status