States › California › Butte County
Butte County, California
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Butte County, California, has 181 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them floods and flash floods.
That is 11.1 events per 100 square miles, below the California figure of 26.2, and 8.7 per 10,000 residents against 10.4 statewide.
11 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 11 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $573M and crop damage at $1K.
FEMA has designated the county in 39 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Park Fire (fire management assistance, 25 Jul 2024).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 335 claims since 1978, of which 263 were paid, totalling $7.2M (about $27K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,384 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($127M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with California and the United States
| Measure | Butte County | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 181 | 40,849 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 11.1 | 26.2 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 8.7 | 10.4 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 11 | 1,233 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 0 | 1,170 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $573M | $30B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $27K | $21K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 4.5 | 5.0 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 139 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 33 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Feb 2017 | Flood | Flood | — | $549M | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Oct 1999 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $480K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 17 Dec 1992 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $2.5M | — | — | 4 | County |
| 10 Feb 1994 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $5.0M | — | — | 2 | County |
| 9 Jan 2017 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $4.3M | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Sep 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 49 mph | $4.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Feb 2017 | Flood | Flood | — | $2.4M | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Sep 2000 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $1.9M | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Nov 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 60 mph | $1.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Feb 2014 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $700K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Mar 1994 | Tornado | Tornado | F0 | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Dec 2014 | Flood | Flood | — | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 2011 | Tornado | Tornado | EF2 | $120K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Nov 2018 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Nov 2018 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Feb 2019 | Flood | Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Feb 2019 | Flood | Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Feb 2019 | Flood | Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 2024 | FM-5519 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Park Fire | Public assistance |
| 2 Jul 2024 | FM-5502 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Thompson Fire | Public assistance |
| 13 Apr 2024 | DR-4769 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 3 Apr 2023 | DR-4699 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 10 Mar 2023 | EM-3592 | Emergency | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 14 Jan 2023 | DR-4683 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 9 Sep 2020 | FM-5363 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Bear Fire | Public assistance |
| 22 Aug 2020 | DR-4558 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 22 Mar 2020 | DR-4482 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3428 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 17 May 2019 | DR-4434 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 12 Nov 2018 | DR-4407 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Nov 2018 | EM-3409 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | Public assistance |
| 8 Nov 2018 | FM-5278 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Camp Fire | Public assistance |
| 10 Oct 2017 | DR-4344 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Oct 2017 | FM-5218 | Fire management assistance | Fire | La Porte Fire | Public assistance |
| 9 Oct 2017 | FM-5216 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Cascade Fire | Public assistance |
| 9 Jul 2017 | FM-5189 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Wall Fire | Public assistance |
| 1 Apr 2017 | DR-4308 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 14 Feb 2017 | DR-4301 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 14 Feb 2017 | EM-3381 | Emergency | Dam/Levee Break | Potential Failure Of The Emergency Spillway At Oroville Lake | Public assistance |
| 8 Jul 2008 | FM-2782 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Camp Fire | Public assistance |
| 28 Jun 2008 | EM-3287 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | Public assistance |
| 11 Jun 2008 | FM-2771 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Humboldt Fire | Public assistance |
| 10 Jun 2008 | FM-2770 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ophir Fire | Public assistance |
| 3 Feb 2006 | DR-1628 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Landslides | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3248 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 11 Aug 2004 | FM-2545 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca Oregon Fire 08-11-2004 | Public assistance |
| 1 Sep 1999 | EM-3140 | Emergency | Fire | Ca-Wildfires-08/25/1999 | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Feb 1998 | DR-1203 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 4 Jan 1997 | DR-1155 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud And Landslides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 12 Mar 1995 | DR-1046 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 10 Jan 1995 | DR-1044 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mud Flows | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 11 Feb 1991 | DR-894 | Major disaster | Freezing | Severe Freeze | Individual assistance |
| 21 Feb 1986 | DR-758 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Feb 1983 | DR-677 | Major disaster | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes | Individual assistance |
| 20 Jan 1977 | EM-3023 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | Public assistance |
| 16 Feb 1970 | DR-283 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 24 Dec 1964 | DR-183 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | 10 | $786,684 | $78,668 |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | $381,647 | $54,521 |
| 2019 | 32 | 26 | $1,002,777 | $38,568 |
| 2018 | 9 | 5 | $333,522 | $66,704 |
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | $43,145 | $21,573 |
| 2016 | 9 | 5 | $100,166 | $20,033 |
| 2014 | 18 | 13 | $434,384 | $33,414 |
| 2012 | 13 | 10 | $290,657 | $29,066 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2006 | 4 | 4 | $138,539 | $34,635 |
| 2005 | 9 | 8 | $149,398 | $18,675 |
| 2004 | 3 | 2 | $2,448 | $1,224 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | $13,281 | $6,640 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | $13,732 | $13,732 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2000 | 3 | 3 | $3,415 | $1,138 |
| 1998 | 59 | 49 | $825,718 | $16,851 |
| 1997 | 53 | 43 | $1,277,754 | $29,715 |
| 1996 | 30 | 24 | $509,527 | $21,230 |
| 1995 | 47 | 36 | $634,877 | $17,635 |
| 1993 | 2 | 1 | $11,661 | $11,661 |
| 1992 | 1 | 1 | $3,637 | $3,637 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1986 | 12 | 10 | $196,485 | $19,649 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $48,235,634 | |
| Earthquake | $33,542,704 | |
| Drought | $26,485,232 | |
| Wildfire | $16,074,989 | |
| Heat wave | $1,431,633 | |
| Lightning | $400,015 | |
| Tornado | $389,073 | |
| Landslide | $387,646 | |
| Hail | $120,975 | |
| Strong wind | $80,538 | |
| Winter weather | $21,053 | |
| Volcanic activity | $392 | |
| Avalanche | $76 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Butte County, CA?
NCEI records 11 hail events in Butte County since 1950, in 7 different years; that is about 0.1 recorded events a year. 0 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Butte County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 18 tornadoes in Butte County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Butte County?
25 Jul 2024: Park Fire, a fire management assistance declaration for fire. The county appears in 39 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Butte County, and how much was paid?
335 NFIP claims since 1978, 263 of them paid, for $7.2M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Butte County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Butte County compare with the rest of California?
11.1 recorded events per 100 square miles against 26.2 statewide, and 1.6 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 1.4. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.