States › California › Orange County
Orange 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.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 352 storm events in Orange County, California, led by floods and flash floods.
That is 44.4 events per 100 square miles, above the California figure of 26.2, and 1.1 per 10,000 residents against 10.4 statewide.
14 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 4 deaths and 43 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $162M and crop damage at $742K.
FEMA has designated the county in 42 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Chemical Release (emergency, 25 May 2026).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 3,839 claims since 1978, of which 2,040 were paid, totalling $21M (about $10K per paid claim). FEMA counts 7,994 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very High" and its expected annual loss as "Very High" ($1.9B a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with California and the United States
| Measure | Orange County | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 352 | 40,849 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 44.4 | 26.2 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 1.1 | 10.4 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 14 | 1,233 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 4 | 1,170 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $162M | $30B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $10K | $21K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 2.5 | 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: 177 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 153 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Feb 1998 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $30M | $280K | 2 | 2 | County |
| 10 Feb 2000 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $300K | — | 1 | 4 | County |
| 6 Mar 2000 | Hail | Hail | 1.50 in | $75K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 15 Dec 2008 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $250K | — | — | 14 | County |
| 9 Feb 1978 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | 6 | County |
| 16 Mar 1977 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $2.5M | — | — | 4 | County |
| 19 Dec 2010 | Flood | Flood | — | $36M | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jan 2001 | Flood | Flood | — | — | — | — | 3 | County |
| 11 Nov 1993 | Tornado | Tornado | F0 | $1K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 11 Sep 2000 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 20 Nov 2002 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 18 Feb 2005 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $20M | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Dec 1997 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $18M | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jan 1993 | Tornado | Tornado | F0 | $5.0M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 7 Jan 2005 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $15M | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Dec 2010 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $12M | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Feb 2003 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $150K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 28 Nov 2019 | Debris Flow | Other | — | $10K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 23 Jan 2002 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 6 Feb 1998 | Flood | Flood | — | $4.3M | $242K | — | — | 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 May 2026 | EM-3646 | Emergency | Chemical | Chemical Release | Public assistance |
| 10 Mar 2023 | EM-3592 | Emergency | 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 |
| 12 May 2022 | FM-5439 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Coastal Fire | Public assistance |
| 3 Dec 2020 | FM-5383 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Bond Fire | Public assistance |
| 26 Oct 2020 | FM-5381 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Blue Ridge Fire | Public assistance |
| 26 Oct 2020 | FM-5380 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Silverado 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 |
| 10 Oct 2017 | DR-4344 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Oct 2017 | FM-5223 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Canyon 2 Fire | Public assistance |
| 26 Sep 2017 | FM-5213 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Canyon Fire | Public assistance |
| 16 Mar 2017 | DR-4305 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 26 Jan 2011 | DR-1952 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Debris And Mud Flows | Public assistance |
| 18 Nov 2008 | DR-1810 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 15 Nov 2008 | FM-2792 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Freeway Fire Complex | Public assistance |
| 24 Oct 2007 | DR-1731 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, And Debris Flows | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 23 Oct 2007 | EM-3279 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | Public assistance |
| 22 Oct 2007 | FM-2737 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Santiago Fire | Public assistance |
| 11 Mar 2007 | FM-2683 | Fire management assistance | Fire | 241 Fire | Public assistance |
| 6 Feb 2006 | FM-2630 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sierra Fire | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3248 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 14 Apr 2005 | DR-1585 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mud And Debris Flows | Public assistance |
| 4 Feb 2005 | DR-1577 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, And Mudslides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 14 May 2002 | FM-2405 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Antonio Fire | Public assistance |
| 9 Feb 1998 | DR-1203 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 23 Oct 1996 | EM-3120 | Emergency | Fire | Severe Firestorms | 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 |
| 17 Jan 1994 | DR-1008 | Major disaster | Earthquake | Northridge Earthquake | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 28 Oct 1993 | DR-1005 | Major disaster | Fire | Fires, Mud/Landslides, Flooding, Soil Erosion | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 3 Feb 1993 | DR-979 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Mud & Land Slides, & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 25 Feb 1992 | DR-935 | Major disaster | Flood | Rain/Snow/Wind Storms, Flooding, Mudslides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 5 Feb 1988 | DR-812 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, High Tides & Flooding | Public assistance |
| 7 Oct 1987 | DR-799 | Major disaster | Earthquake | Earthquake & Aftershocks | Individual assistance |
| 9 Feb 1983 | DR-677 | Major disaster | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 24 Apr 1982 | DR-657 | Major disaster | Fire | Urban Fire | Individual assistance |
| 27 Nov 1980 | DR-635 | Major disaster | Fire | Brush & Timber Fires | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 21 Feb 1980 | DR-615 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Oct 1978 | DR-566 | Major disaster | Flood | Landslides | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 15 Feb 1978 | DR-547 | Major disaster | Flood | Coastal Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | Individual assistance, 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
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 4 | $68,952 | $17,238 |
| 2025 | 16 | 7 | $203,298 | $29,043 |
| 2024 | 20 | 9 | $617,466 | $68,607 |
| 2023 | 22 | 13 | $609,159 | $46,858 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | $14,008 | $7,004 |
| 2021 | 11 | 6 | $199,742 | $33,290 |
| 2020 | 14 | 10 | $298,269 | $29,827 |
| 2019 | 29 | 13 | $217,690 | $16,745 |
| 2018 | 7 | 6 | $128,121 | $21,353 |
| 2017 | 70 | 38 | $528,469 | $13,907 |
| 2016 | 27 | 7 | $128,298 | $18,328 |
| 2015 | 13 | 7 | $347,397 | $49,628 |
| 2014 | 6 | 5 | $90,507 | $18,101 |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2012 | 4 | 1 | $4,233 | $4,233 |
| 2011 | 11 | 1 | $1,977 | $1,977 |
| 2010 | 208 | 129 | $3,169,366 | $24,569 |
| 2009 | 13 | 2 | $11,134 | $5,567 |
| 2008 | 11 | 4 | $29,390 | $7,348 |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2005 | 93 | 56 | $773,731 | $13,817 |
| 2004 | 71 | 51 | $1,027,871 | $20,154 |
| 2003 | 27 | 15 | $125,019 | $8,335 |
| 2002 | 6 | 0 | $0 | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | $1,015,337,591 | |
| Inland flooding | $819,930,991 | |
| Wildfire | $57,585,624 | |
| Heat wave | $11,026,757 | |
| Coastal flooding | $8,413,133 | |
| Tornado | $5,348,360 | |
| Landslide | $4,179,250 | |
| Tsunami | $2,529,600 | |
| Hail | $937,384 | |
| Strong wind | $652,575 | |
| Lightning | $488,671 | |
| Drought | $36,627 | |
| Winter weather | $133 | |
| Avalanche | $16 |
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
- 92646 614
- 92651 429
- 92704 252
- 92708 237
- 92683 176
- 92647 166
- 92663 156
- 92649 136
- 90740 112
- 92843 98
- 92626 94
- 92676 92
- 92703 79
- 92672 76
- 92624 63
- 92660 61
- 92677 49
- 92625 45
- 92648 44
- 92840 44
- 92627 40
- 92705 39
- 92706 39
- 92835 36
- 92707 35
- 92675 33
- 92662 32
- 90743 28
- 92661 28
- 92807 24
- 90742 22
- 92653 22
- 92841 20
- 92679 19
- 90631 17
- 92630 17
- 92869 17
- 92831 16
- 92629 14
- 92886 14
- 92604 13
- 92612 13
- 90621 12
- 92652 12
- 92870 12
- 90720 11
- 92804 11
- 90620 10
- 92673 10
- 92861 10
- 92845 9
- 92887 9
- 90680 8
- 92806 8
- 90623 7
- 90630 7
- 92603 7
- 92667 7
- 92691 7
- 92780 7
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 Orange County, CA?
NCEI records 13 hail events in Orange County since 1950, in 7 different years; that is about 0.2 recorded events a year. 1 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Orange County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 31 tornadoes in Orange County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Orange County?
25 May 2026: Chemical Release, a emergency declaration for chemical. The county appears in 42 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Orange County, and how much was paid?
3,839 NFIP claims since 1978, 2,040 of them paid, for $21M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Orange County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very High" for overall risk, "Very High" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Low" for social vulnerability and "Very Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Orange County compare with the rest of California?
44.4 recorded events per 100 square miles against 26.2 statewide, and 1.2 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.