Humboldt County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Humboldt County's overall risk Relatively High (score 96.8 of 100, higher than 96% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 16 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by landslide, earthquake, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 1,036 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively High | 99.6 | $2.3M |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 99.0 | $94M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.2 | $51M |
| Tsunami | Relatively High | 93.8 | $33M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | 87.8 | $3.7M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 95.5 | $3.0M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 78.5 | $650K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 47.3 | $252K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 32.9 | $93K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 47.2 | $327 |
| Hail | Very Low | 15.3 | $40K |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 10.5 | $6K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 7.9 | $32K |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 3.9 | $18K |
| Cold Wave | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
| Volcanic Activity | 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 | 461 | 0 | $2K | 27th of 57 | 2350th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 253 | 1 | $18M | 39th of 57 | 1280th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 128 | 2 | $108M | 40th of 57 | 2475th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 69 | 0 | $49M | 32nd of 57 | 920th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 29 | 25 | $18M | 13th of 57 | 118th of 2,080 |
| Hail | 29 | 1 | $39K | 21st of 57 | 2880th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 24 | 1 | $7K | 28th of 57 | 2966th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 6 | 0 | – | 51st of 57 | 2804th of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 1 | $2.6M | 7th of 57 | 980th of 1,849 |
| Wildfires | 5 | 0 | – | 54th of 57 | 1104th of 2,972 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 4 | 0 | $32M | 46th of 57 | 397th of 2,278 |
| Heat | 2 | 0 | – | 55th of 57 | 2490th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 0 | $26K | 44th of 57 | 2950th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | – | 37th of 57 | 2400th 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 Humboldt County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.