Santa Cruz County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Santa Cruz County's overall risk Relatively High (score 97.8 of 100, higher than 97% of rated U.S. counties); 4 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by drought, landslide, earthquake. Its storm record holds 681 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 | Relatively High | 99.4 | $18M |
| Landslide | Relatively High | 99.3 | $2.1M |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 99.3 | $190M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 96.2 | $105M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 97.3 | $9.0M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 86.6 | $2.5M |
| Tsunami | Relatively Moderate | 73.8 | $7.6M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 59.2 | $353K |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | 49.2 | $117K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 31.7 | $35K |
| Hail | Very Low | 33.2 | $149K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 18.7 | $235K |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 7.0 | $53K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 3.1 | $1 |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High wind and dust storms | 322 | 6 | $6.3M | 3rd of 57 | 74th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 106 | 3 | $41M | 3rd of 57 | 432nd of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 85 | 37 | $47M | 1st of 57 | 10th of 2,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 62 | 0 | $32M | 1st of 57 | 7th of 2,278 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $6.2M | 1st of 57 | 2605th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 21 | 4 | $14M | 6th of 57 | 246th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 15 | 0 | $19 | 32nd of 57 | 2681st of 3,077 |
| Heat | 9 | 3 | – | 31st of 57 | 1133rd of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 8 | 0 | $1.2M | 2nd of 57 | 2194th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 8 | 1 | – | 25th of 57 | 183rd of 2,972 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 7 | 0 | $28 | 8th of 57 | 2836th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 1 | $20M | 34th of 57 | 2106th of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 2 | $1.8M | 3rd of 57 | 737th of 1,849 |
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.