Calaveras County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Calaveras County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 86.6 of 100, higher than 86% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by wildfire, drought, winter weather. Its storm record holds 981 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 99.5 | $30M |
| Drought | Relatively High | 98.3 | $4.4M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 91.6 | $394K |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 96.6 | $200K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 84.1 | $1.7M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 77.6 | $15M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 76.7 | $1.1M |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 56.1 | $251K |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | 59.3 | $24 |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 35.1 | $138 |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 9.8 | $61K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 8.0 | $38K |
| Hail | Very Low | 7.4 | $18K |
| 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 | 532 | 12 | $1.7M | 6th of 57 | 277th of 3,077 |
| Drought | 111 | 0 | $1.9B | 5th of 57 | 942nd of 3,063 |
| High wind and dust storms | 94 | 3 | $15M | 31st of 57 | 737th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 74 | 5 | – | 6th of 57 | 517th of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 47 | 3 | $26M | 8th of 57 | 45th of 2,972 |
| Floods | 43 | 3 | $9.3M | 29th of 57 | 2233rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 42 | 22 | $29M | 6th of 57 | 684th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 7 | 0 | – | 41st of 57 | 1137th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 6 | 2 | $19K | 20th of 57 | 130th of 2,278 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 5 | 0 | $13K | 51st of 57 | 3029th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 3 | 0 | $15 | 41st of 57 | 2966th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 2 | 0 | – | 31st of 57 | 228th of 2,080 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 0 | – | 34th of 57 | 2822nd of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | – | 27th of 57 | 2256th 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 Calaveras County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.