Kings County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Kings County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 92.4 of 100, higher than 92% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by drought, heat wave. Its storm record holds 1,588 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Very High | 99.7 | $34M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 97.9 | $11M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 97.0 | $25M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 87.7 | $25M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 77.1 | $245K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 66.0 | $371K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 48.2 | $172K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 57.7 | $2K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 16.4 | $132K |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 11.0 | $65K |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 2.7 | $1K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 0.1 | $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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme cold | 312 | 0 | $276M | 1st of 57 | 93rd of 3,076 |
| Heat | 244 | 0 | $157M | 4th of 57 | 496th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 148 | 0 | – | 11th of 57 | 1107th of 3,063 |
| High wind and dust storms | 141 | 4 | $9.7M | 22nd of 57 | 456th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 40 | 0 | $2.5M | 27th of 57 | 2175th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 32 | 0 | $163M | 11th of 57 | 408th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 27 | 0 | $7.2M | 7th of 57 | 2822nd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 24 | 0 | $7.1M | 6th of 57 | 2785th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $680K | 6th of 57 | 1347th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 8 | 0 | $1.4M | 21st of 57 | 2664th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 4 | 0 | – | 50th of 57 | 3019th of 3,077 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 1 | – | 50th of 57 | 850th of 2,972 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 2 | 0 | $68K | 39th of 57 | 302nd 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 Kings County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.