Butte County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Butte County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 93.9 of 100, higher than 93% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by drought, wildfire. Its storm record holds 746 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Very High | 99.7 | $26M |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98.5 | $16M |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 97.6 | $388K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 97.5 | $34M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 93.2 | $48M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 82.0 | $1.4M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 68.1 | $400K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 34.0 | $121K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 28.2 | $389K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 25.9 | $21K |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | 79.5 | $392 |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 27.8 | $76 |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 12.1 | $81K |
| Cold Wave | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 290 | 1 | $276K | 11th of 57 | 1034th of 3,077 |
| Floods | 110 | 0 | $666M | 17th of 57 | 1897th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 78 | 0 | – | 23rd of 57 | 1500th of 3,063 |
| High wind and dust storms | 67 | 5 | $58M | 41st of 57 | 1452nd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 54 | 3 | – | 27th of 57 | 1048th of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 41 | 108 | $20.0B | 19th of 57 | 140th of 2,972 |
| Heavy rain | 26 | 0 | $7K | 20th of 57 | 634th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 19 | 7 | $4.3M | 27th of 57 | 1852nd of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 18 | 0 | $17M | 5th of 57 | 2380th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 12 | 0 | $5.9M | 16th of 57 | 2896th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $1K | 30th of 57 | 2931st of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 5 | 0 | $5.4M | 29th of 57 | 213th of 2,278 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 4 | 1 | – | 18th of 57 | 169th of 2,080 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $183K | 16th of 57 | 1763rd of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Butte County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.