Santa Cruz County, Arizona: hazard risk
FEMA rates Santa Cruz County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 88.3 of 100, higher than 88% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by heat wave, wildfire, lightning. Its storm record holds 489 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 99.0 | $16M |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98.1 | $7.9M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 88.4 | $631K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 87.4 | $18M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 69.1 | $3K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 54.5 | $117K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 28.8 | $163K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 43.5 | $110K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 31.0 | $67 |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 18.9 | $10K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 17.3 | $3K |
| Hail | Very Low | 9.9 | $18K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 8.7 | $30K |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 94 | 0 | – | 2nd of 15 | 1118th of 3,063 |
| Floods | 87 | 4 | $17M | 1st of 15 | 1169th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 79 | 0 | $1.1M | 3rd of 15 | 2539th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 72 | 62 | – | 1st of 15 | 487th of 3,076 |
| Hail | 40 | 0 | $172K | 1st of 15 | 2664th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 37 | 0 | $29K | 2nd of 15 | 2551st of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 30 | 0 | $152K | 3rd of 15 | 1994th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 29 | 0 | $21M | 1st of 15 | 115th of 2,972 |
| Extreme cold | 8 | 8 | $694K | 1st of 15 | 2130th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $5K | 3rd of 15 | 1566th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | – | 12th of 15 | 2284th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 0 | – | 12th of 15 | 2926th 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 Santa Cruz County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.