El Paso County, Texas: hazard risk
FEMA rates El Paso County's overall risk Relatively High (score 95.5 of 100, higher than 95% of rated U.S. counties); 7 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, lightning, hail. Its storm record holds 763 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | 99.9 | $2.3M |
| Lightning | Very High | 99.9 | $7.0M |
| Hail | Very High | 99.6 | $15M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 98.7 | $14M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 96.8 | $70M |
| Drought | Relatively High | 96.0 | $2.0M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 95.4 | $2.1M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 92.1 | $4.9M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 83.5 | $3.0M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 70.5 | $148K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 71.0 | $119K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 34.8 | $434K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 44.7 | $607 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 41.1 | $21K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 20.2 | $23 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 184 | 0 | – | 158th of 254 | 655th of 3,063 |
| Hail | 159 | 0 | $594M | 175th of 254 | 1989th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 154 | 6 | $302M | 18th of 254 | 521st of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 124 | 1 | $1.4M | 128th of 254 | 2281st of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 113 | 3 | $22M | 10th of 254 | 330th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 9 | 3 | $7K | 224th of 254 | 2917th of 3,077 |
| Heavy rain | 8 | 0 | – | 33rd of 254 | 1027th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 6 | 0 | $6.3M | 240th of 254 | 2686th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 4 | 0 | – | 195th of 254 | 2359th of 3,076 |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 0 | $6.6M | 224th of 254 | 2780th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $91K | 145th of 254 | 2249th 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 El Paso County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.