Cuyahoga County, Ohio: hazard risk
FEMA rates Cuyahoga County's overall risk Relatively High (score 98.0 of 100, higher than 97% of rated U.S. counties); 8 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by cold wave, tornado, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 1,321 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Very High | 99.7 | $50M |
| Tornado | Very High | 99.0 | $33M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 98.7 | $178M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 97.7 | $11M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 96.6 | $3.2M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 96.4 | $755K |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 93.1 | $1.3M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 92.6 | $1.0M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 89.6 | $4.4M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 62.4 | $229K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 55.7 | $284K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 56.9 | $60K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 34.7 | $387 |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 33.0 | $6K |
| Drought | 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 608 | 12 | $39M | 1st of 88 | 27th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 299 | 0 | $13M | 2nd of 88 | 84th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 128 | 0 | $165M | 17th of 88 | 292nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 126 | 0 | $65M | 20th of 88 | 414th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 92 | 2 | $96M | 5th of 88 | 185th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 21 | 12 | $414M | 30th of 88 | 1066th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 17 | $1.9M | 13th of 88 | 815th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 11 | 2 | $332K | 5th of 88 | 374th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 5 | 0 | $886K | 35th of 88 | 1971st of 3,063 |
| Heat | 2 | 0 | – | 58th of 88 | 1936th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 0 | $63K | 49th of 88 | 1430th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | $3K | 1st of 88 | 259th of 2,278 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Cuyahoga County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.