Shasta County, California
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 06089 · population 181,918 · 3,776 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,295 records for Shasta County, California from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 597 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (577 records). 1,102 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the November 8, 2018 wildfire, filed for the forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley, which covers the county: 86 deaths, 12 injuries and $20 billion in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 41 declarations naming the county since 1964, 39 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides” on April 3, 2023.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,295on 597 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 141198 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $22.0Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 41latest 2023
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Shasta County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 577 since 1996. 46% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The rank column places the county among California's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 577 | 272 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 0 | $819K | 18 of 57 |
| Drought | 171 | 46 | 2015-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 of 57 |
| Heat | 115 | 48 | 1999-2026 | 1 | 2 | – | 34 of 57 |
| High wind and dust storms | 108 | 68 | 1996-2025 | 9 | 11 | $9.5M | 53 of 57 |
| Floods | 90 | 39 | 1996-2026 | 4 | 0 | $57M | 47 of 57 |
| Wildfires | 81 | 55 | 1997-2025 | 115 | 170 | $21.9B | 30 of 57 |
| Heavy rain | 65 | 52 | 1996-2023 | 3 | 1 | $41K | 21 of 57 |
| Extreme cold | 39 | 31 | 1998-2024 | 4 | 0 | $142K | 31 of 57 |
| Hail | 26 | 19 | 1986-2019 | 0 | 0 | $123K | 27 of 57 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 9 | 8 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 14 | – | 48 of 57 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 6 | 5 | 1987-2019 | 0 | 0 | $81K | 47 of 57 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 3 | 3 | 1996-2021 | 1 | 0 | – | 33 of 57 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 3 | 2 | 2014-2024 | 2 | 0 | – | 47 of 57 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2019-2023 | 0 | 0 | $16K | 33 of 57 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
When was the last damaging storm in Shasta County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 15, 2026 winter storm ($100,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-14 | Excessive HeatShasta County · forecast zone Eastern Shasta County Foothills Between 1000-3000 Ft | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-14 | Excessive HeatShasta County · forecast zone South-Central Shasta County Including Redding Metro | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-14 | Excessive HeatShasta County · forecast zone Shasta Lake Area And Interstate 5 Between 1000-3000 Ft | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-14 | Excessive HeatShasta County · forecast zone Western Shasta County Foothills Between 1000-3000 Ft | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-14 | Excessive HeatShasta County · forecast zone Western Shasta County Mountains Above 3000 Ft | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowLassen County and 3 more · forecast zone Lassen Volcanic National Park | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-10 | Heavy SnowButte County and 4 more · forecast zone Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Winter StormShasta County · forecast zone Shasta Lake/North Shasta County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Winter StormShasta County and Tehama County · forecast zone Northern Sacramento Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Winter StormColusa County and 3 more · forecast zone Mountains Southwestern Shasta County To Western Colusa County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-15 | Winter StormButte County and 2 more · forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2026-02-15 | Winter StormShasta County · forecast zone Burney Basin/Eastern Shasta County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-11-08 | WildfireButte County and 2 more · forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley The Camp Fire began on the morning of November 8, 2018, by Camp Creek Road, near Pulga in Butte County. The fire was not fully contained until November 25. This fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history, destroying much of the city of Paradise, the community of Concow, and damaging the towns of ... | 86 | 12 | $20.0B | |
| 2020-09-07 | WildfireButte County and 2 more · forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley Immediate evacuation orders where given to Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Forbestown, Clipper Mills, and Feather Falls areas the evening of September 8. Later that night gusty north and east winds continued to push the fires from the North Complex down the terrain, which would eventually make a run into Butte County and ... | 16 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-07-26 | High WindShasta County and Tehama County · forecast zone Northern Sacramento Valley A powerful fire whirl developed within the Carr Fire in western Redding, CA on July 26th, with winds estimated in excess of 143 mph, equivalent to an EF3 tornado. The fire whirl was estimated to be on ground from 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. The fire whirl caused extensive tornado-like damage while rapidly spreading the fire. The ... | 134 kt wind | 4 | 6 | – |
| 2020-09-27 | WildfireShasta County and Tehama County · forecast zone Northern Sacramento Valley A wildfire started on September 27 on Zogg Mine Road and Jenny Bird Lane, North of Igo in Shasta County and would span portions of zone 15 and 63 in Shasta and Tehama counties. The fire would eventually claim 4 lives, cause an injury to a firefighter, destroy 204 structures, damage 27 structures, and burn 56,338 acres. | 4 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-07-23 | WildfireShasta County and Tehama County · forecast zone Northern Sacramento Valley The Carr Fire began on the afternoon of July 23, 2018, at the intersection of Highway 299 and Carr Powerhouse Road, near French Gulch in Shasta County. The fire is reported to have been started accidentally by a vehicle towing a trailer that had a tire blow out, causing the steel rim to scrape along the pavement, ... | 4 | 0 | $1.8B | |
| 2024-02-22 | Debris FlowSummit City, Shasta County At approximately 9:00 AM PST on Thursday, February, 22, 2024, Shasta County Sheriff's Office responded to a report that rocks and debris had broken away from a hillside, near a drainage culvert that leads to the Sacramento River. Two juveniles were caught in the debris, fell down the hillside and died. Heavy rainfall ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-10-25 | Flash FloodInwood, Shasta County A 19 year old man and a 19-year-old women were driving in a vehicle that was swept off a small bridge over Lack Creek. Both were found drowned, their car about three quarters of a mile down stream. About 3.12 inches of rain fell nearby, measured by a RAWS station at Shingletown over 24 hours. Of that, 2.87 inches of ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-11-19 | Heavy RainRedding, Shasta County Police determined that low visibility in the rain was the main factor as a driver missed a stop sign as he approached a road "T" and drove the car into a concrete abutment. The heavy rain also destroyed 60,000 books in the Shasta county library when the roof sprung a leak. | 2 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-11-08 | WildfireButte County and 2 more · forecast zone Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley | 86 | 12 | $20.0B | |
| 2018-07-23 | WildfireShasta County and Tehama County · forecast zone Northern Sacramento Valley | 4 | 0 | $1.8B | |
| 2018-07-27 | WildfireColusa County and 4 more · forecast zone Mountains Southwest Shasta County To Northern Lake County | 1 | 16 | $66M | |
| 1998-02-02 | FloodShasta County and Tehama County · forecast zone Northern Sacramento Valley | 0 | 0 | $49M | |
| 1999-10-16 | WildfireBella Vista, Shasta County | 0 | 4 | $39M | |
| 1999-10-01 | WildfireRedding, Shasta County | 0 | 4 | $24M | |
| 1997-07-30 | WildfireManzanita Lake, Shasta County | 0 | 0 | $22M | |
| 1999-09-26 | WildfireRedding, Shasta County | 0 | 1 | $8.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Shasta County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 95 | 138 | 171 | 173 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 26 | 145 z |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 2 | 21 | 13 | 79 z |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 28 | 19 | 25 | 36 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 18 | 4 | 22 | 46 |
| Wildfires | – | – | – | – | 10 | 20 | 14 | 37 |
Drought in the 2020-26: 145 records against 26 in the decade before, 145 of them forecast-zone records. Heat in the 2020-26: 79 records against 13 in the decade before, 79 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Shasta County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
46% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 211 · Feb 188 · Mar 144 · Apr 69 · May 50 · Jun 71 · Jul 93 · Aug 51 · Sep 64 · Oct 67 · Nov 106 · Dec 181 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Shasta County
FEMA's register lists 41 declarations that include Shasta County: 20 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 15 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (22) and severe storm (7).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-03 | DR-4699 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2021-09-23 | FM-5417 | Fire | Fawn Fire |
| 2020-10-16 | DR-4569 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2020-09-28 | FM-5377 | Fire | Zogg Fire |
| 2020-03-22 | DR-4482 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3428 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-05-01 | DR-4431 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2018-08-04 | DR-4382 | Fire | Wildfires and High Winds |
| 2018-07-28 | EM-3398 | Fire | Wildfire |
| 2018-07-23 | FM-5259 | Fire | Carr Fire |
| 2018-06-25 | FM-5245 | Fire | Creek Fire |
| 2017-04-01 | DR-4308 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2017-02-14 | DR-4301 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2014-08-03 | FM-5069 | Fire | Bald Fire |
| 2014-08-02 | FM-5067 | Fire | Eiler Fire |
| 2013-09-10 | FM-5050 | Fire | Clover Fire |
| 2012-08-19 | FM-5007 | Fire | Ponderosa Fire |
| 2008-06-28 | EM-3287 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2007-06-29 | FM-2702 | Fire | Creek Fire |
| 2006-02-03 | DR-1628 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3248 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-08-26 | FM-2580 | Fire | Manton Fire |
| 2004-08-14 | FM-2547 | Fire | Ca-French Fire 08-14-2004 |
| 2004-08-14 | FM-2548 | Fire | Ca-Lake Fire 08-14-2004 |
| 2004-08-11 | FM-2544 | Fire | Ca-Bear Fire-08-11-2004 |
| 2003-10-28 | FM-2508 | Fire | Ca-Whitmore Fire-10-28-2003 |
| 2002-09-04 | FM-2461 | Fire | Squirrel Fire |
| 1999-09-01 | EM-3140 | Fire | Ca-Wildfires-08/25/1999 |
| 1997-01-04 | DR-1155 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides |
| 1995-03-12 | DR-1046 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow |
| 1995-01-10 | DR-1044 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mud Flows |
| 1993-02-03 | DR-979 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Mud & Land Slides, & Flooding |
| 1992-08-29 | DR-958 | Fire | Old Gulch & Fountain Fires |
| 1988-09-29 | DR-815 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 1986-02-21 | DR-758 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1983-02-09 | DR-677 | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes |
| 1977-01-20 | EM-3023 | Drought | Drought |
| 1974-01-25 | DR-412 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1970-02-16 | DR-283 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1969-01-26 | DR-253 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
The 40 most recent of 41 are listed; the CSV has every one.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Shasta County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 90 flood or flash flood records for Shasta County from 1996 to 2026, on 39 days, with 4 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Shasta County ranks 821st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.9 million on 256 claims filed in Shasta County; the most in one year was 40 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 1 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 9 · 1986: 14 · 1987: 1 · 1989: 1 · 1992: 1 · 1993: 4 · 1995: 27 · 1996: 14 · 1997: 40 · 1998: 11 · 1999: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 2 · 2004: 3 · 2005: 15 · 2006: 1 · 2009: 2 · 2011: 3 · 2012: 21 · 2014: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2017: 30 · 2019: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 23; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Shasta County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Shasta County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $135 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | $35M | once in about 114 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $72M | 1 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $24M | once in about 43 years (modeled) |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | $245K | once in about 455 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $78K | 6.4 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.1M | 5 modeled event-days a year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $720K | 77 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $131K | 21 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Shasta County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Winter storms in CaliforniaThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The California recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Shasta CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Shasta County's FEMA declarations (CSV)41 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis