Sarasota County, Florida: hazard risk
FEMA rates Sarasota County's overall risk Relatively High (score 98.2 of 100, higher than 98% of rated U.S. counties); 6 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning, hurricane, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 518 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 | Very High | 99.6 | $5.1M |
| Hurricane | Very High | 99.5 | $180M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 95.7 | $67M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | 93.6 | $7.3M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 92.5 | $6.9M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 87.4 | $1.4M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 93.3 | $1.9M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 89.8 | $2.3M |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 37.3 | $41K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 31.3 | $351K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 43.4 | $658 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 34.7 | $85K |
| Hail | Very Low | 21.0 | $59K |
| 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 | 149 | 1 | $4.3M | 31st of 67 | 1325th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 84 | 2 | $120M | 3rd of 67 | 7th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 50 | 1 | $34M | 11th of 67 | 1054th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 48 | 0 | $92K | 27th of 67 | 2048th of 3,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 40 | 10 | $2.1B | 9th of 67 | 104th of 1,849 |
| Extreme cold | 29 | 0 | $1.7M | 8th of 67 | 462nd of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 27 | 3 | $1.8M | 13th of 67 | 116th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 11 | 0 | $193K | 21st of 67 | 518th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 10 | 0 | $780K | 14th of 67 | 179th of 2,972 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 7 | 4 | – | 20th of 67 | 91st of 2,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 6 | 0 | $145K | 10th of 67 | 2402nd 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 Sarasota County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.