Polk County, Florida: hazard risk
FEMA rates Polk County's overall risk Relatively High (score 96.5 of 100, higher than 96% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, lightning, hurricane. Its storm record holds 1,028 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | 99.9 | $25M |
| Lightning | Very High | 99.6 | $6.4M |
| Hurricane | Very High | 98.5 | $92M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 94.6 | $65M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 93.9 | $9.4M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 97.0 | $6.7M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 93.6 | $4.3M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 76.1 | $2.6M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 73.4 | $596K |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 71.9 | $533K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 64.2 | $3K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 52.4 | $281K |
| Winter Weather | 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 351 | 0 | $23M | 43rd of 67 | 1836th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 256 | 0 | $50M | 21st of 67 | 1776th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 165 | 9 | $390M | 19th of 67 | 111th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 51 | 0 | $34M | 16th of 67 | 863rd of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 42 | 7 | $4.7M | 30th of 67 | 325th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 38 | 0 | $6.5M | 54th of 67 | 2308th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 27 | 5 | $247M | 59th of 67 | 396th of 1,849 |
| Heavy rain | 17 | 1 | $30K | 38th of 67 | 944th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 15 | 0 | $2.1M | 30th of 67 | 376th of 2,972 |
| High wind and dust storms | 6 | 1 | $1.7B | 36th of 67 | 2784th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | – | 38th of 67 | 2440th 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 Polk County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.