Lake County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Lake County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 93.0 of 100, higher than 92% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by wildfire, landslide, drought. Its storm record holds 256 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 99.1 | $20M |
| Landslide | Relatively High | 98.8 | $872K |
| Drought | Relatively High | 95.9 | $2.3M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.1 | $51M |
| Avalanche | Relatively High | 89.3 | $1.3M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 97.0 | $24M |
| Volcanic Activity | Relatively Moderate | 96.7 | $484K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 52.6 | $329K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 26.7 | $20K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 22.1 | $59K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 10.9 | $60K |
| Hail | Very Low | 3.5 | $5K |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 1.8 | $6K |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 109 | 0 | $115K | 20th of 57 | 2068th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 43 | 0 | $297K | 52nd of 57 | 1852nd of 3,080 |
| Floods | 33 | 1 | $38M | 39th of 57 | 2424th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 21 | 0 | $21K | 25th of 57 | 763rd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 19 | 0 | – | 28th of 57 | 2021st of 3,063 |
| Wildfires | 19 | 6 | $68M | 31st of 57 | 203rd of 2,972 |
| Heat | 5 | 0 | – | 47th of 57 | 2149th of 3,076 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 0 | – | 52nd of 57 | 2810th of 3,076 |
| Hail | 2 | 0 | – | 51st of 57 | 3003rd of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 2 | 0 | $374K | 44th of 57 | 371st of 2,278 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 30th of 57 | 2305th 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 Lake County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.