Orange County, Texas: hazard risk
FEMA rates Orange County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 85.9 of 100, higher than 85% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning, hurricane, ice storm. Its storm record holds 372 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 95.4 | $1.8M |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 95.2 | $21M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 88.8 | $752K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 89.4 | $1.2M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 89.2 | $6.2M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 80.2 | $2.0M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 78.5 | $17M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 73.3 | $2.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 74.1 | $1.0M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 43.1 | $81K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 42.5 | $408K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 40.6 | $43K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 45.6 | $198K |
| Hail | Very Low | 26.3 | $92K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 7.8 | $15 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 134 | 1 | $2.2M | 8th of 254 | 490th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 81 | 11 | $1.9B | 2nd of 254 | 142nd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 77 | 0 | $9K | 68th of 254 | 679th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 31 | 1 | $45M | 10th of 254 | 93rd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 14 | 1 | $13M | 97th of 254 | 2405th of 3,077 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 9 | 2 | $2.9B | 5th of 254 | 274th of 1,849 |
| Drought | 7 | 0 | – | 216th of 254 | 1712th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 5 | 1 | – | 116th of 254 | 1333rd of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 0 | $83K | 10th of 254 | 616th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $26K | 21st of 254 | 602nd of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 2 | 0 | $135K | 103rd of 254 | 2605th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 0 | $338K | 181st of 254 | 2545th of 3,076 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Orange County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.