States › California › Mariposa County
Mariposa 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 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 251 storm events in Mariposa County, California, led by floods and flash floods.
That is 17.3 events per 100 square miles, below the California figure of 26.2, and 146.4 per 10,000 residents against 10.4 statewide.
0 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 9 deaths and 8 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $18M.
FEMA has designated the county in 24 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is French Fire (fire management assistance, 5 Jul 2024).
OpenFEMA lists no National Flood Insurance Program claims in the county.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($38M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with California and the United States
| Measure | Mariposa County | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 251 | 40,849 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 17.3 | 26.2 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 146.4 | 10.4 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 0 | 1,233 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 9 | 1,170 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $18M | $30B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.0 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | — | $21K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | — | 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: 197 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 2018 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $2.0M | — | 2 | — | County |
| 27 Dec 2022 | Debris Flow | Other | — | — | — | 2 | — | County |
| 19 Dec 1996 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $4K | — | 1 | 1 | County |
| 14 May 2018 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | County |
| 21 Jan 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 46 mph | $5K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 13 Jun 2009 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 13 Jul 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 40 mph | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 25 Jun 2000 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 4 | County |
| 21 Sep 2023 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 24 Jul 2001 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $5.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Aug 2001 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $3.6M | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Oct 2003 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $2.9M | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 2003 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $1.3M | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jul 2003 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $810K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2001 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $778K | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Mar 2018 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jul 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 40 mph | $150K | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Jun 1998 | Flood | Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Oct 2003 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Sep 2011 | Lightning | Lightning | — | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jul 2024 | FM-5503 | Fire management assistance | Fire | French Fire | 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 Jan 2023 | EM-3591 | Emergency | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 23 Jul 2022 | FM-5445 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Oak Fire | 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 |
| 1 May 2019 | DR-4431 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 2 Sep 2017 | FM-5202 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Railroad Fire | Public assistance |
| 17 Jul 2017 | FM-5192 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Detwiler Fire | Public assistance |
| 1 Apr 2017 | DR-4308 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 5 Sep 2014 | FM-5077 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Bridge Fire | Public assistance |
| 23 Aug 2013 | FM-5049 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Rim Fire | Public assistance |
| 28 Jun 2008 | EM-3287 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3248 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2004 | FM-2555 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Rix-Ca-Old Highway Wildfire 9/13/04 | Public assistance |
| 2 Sep 2004 | FM-2552 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Bear Fire-09-02-2004 | 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 |
| 9 Feb 1983 | DR-677 | Major disaster | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 20 Jan 1977 | EM-3023 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | Public assistance |
| 26 Jan 1969 | DR-253 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & 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
OpenFEMA lists no NFIP claims with this county's code.
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | $15,432,116 | |
| Heat wave | $11,150,600 | |
| Inland flooding | $8,436,720 | |
| Landslide | $1,701,391 | |
| Drought | $447,672 | |
| Earthquake | $432,731 | |
| Lightning | $302,329 | |
| Winter weather | $113,167 | |
| Strong wind | $49,836 | |
| Tornado | $18,388 | |
| Hail | $11,836 | |
| Avalanche | $171 | |
| Volcanic activity | $17 |
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).
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Mariposa County, CA?
NCEI records 10 hail events in Mariposa 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 Mariposa County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 3 tornadoes in Mariposa County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Mariposa County?
5 Jul 2024: French Fire, a fire management assistance declaration for fire. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Mariposa County, and how much was paid?
OpenFEMA lists no NFIP claims in the county.
Is Mariposa 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 Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Mariposa County compare with the rest of California?
17.3 recorded events per 100 square miles against 26.2 statewide, and 0.0 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 29 Sep 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 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.