Imperial County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Imperial County's overall risk Relatively High (score 96.5 of 100, higher than 96% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by earthquake, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 635 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 99.2 | $101M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.1 | $43M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 94.0 | $3.1M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 69.2 | $321K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 54.7 | $401K |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Low | 86.0 | $2K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 76.0 | $184K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 41.2 | $459 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 22.3 | $5K |
| Hail | Very Low | 20.2 | $46K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 16.0 | $35K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 11.4 | $53K |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 1.1 | $0 |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 266 | 0 | – | 35th of 57 | 1297th of 3,076 |
| Floods | 118 | 2 | $38M | 46th of 57 | 2646th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 113 | 0 | $12M | 5th of 57 | 2814th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 93 | 1 | $325K | 55th of 57 | 2140th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | – | 47th of 57 | 2990th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 7 | 0 | $5.3M | 37th of 57 | 2872nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 6 | 0 | $8.4M | 47th of 57 | 2783rd of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 0 | – | 55th of 57 | 2160th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 1 | $361K | 56th of 57 | 1200th of 2,972 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 0 | $8.3M | 12th of 57 | 1089th of 1,849 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | – | 39th of 57 | 2408th 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 Imperial County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.