States › California › Riverside County
Riverside 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.
Riverside County, California, has 933 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them floods and flash floods.
That is 12.9 events per 100 square miles, below the California figure of 26.2, and 3.8 per 10,000 residents against 10.4 statewide.
22 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 10 deaths and 149 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $275M and crop damage at $5.1M.
FEMA has designated the county in 66 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Bain Fire (fire management assistance, 20 May 2026).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 1,636 claims since 1978, of which 1,092 were paid, totalling $21M (about $19K per paid claim). FEMA counts 3,343 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" ($2.3B a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with California and the United States
| Measure | Riverside County | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 933 | 40,849 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 12.9 | 26.2 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 3.8 | 10.4 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 22 | 1,233 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 10 | 1,170 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $275M | $30B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $19K | $21K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 5.3 | 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: 597 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 314 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 2000 | Flood | Flood | — | $60K | — | 2 | 4 | County |
| 4 Aug 2024 | Dust Devil | Other | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | County |
| 12 Jul 1999 | Flood | Flood | — | $50K | — | 1 | 4 | County |
| 5 Mar 2000 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $300K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 30 Sep 2018 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $50K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 29 Jun 2001 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 30 Jul 2003 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 22 Dec 2010 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 25 Feb 2003 | Heavy Rain | Other | — | $250K | — | — | 24 | County |
| 11 Aug 2002 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $15K | — | — | 10 | County |
| 20 Jan 2017 | Flood | Flood | — | — | — | — | 10 | County |
| 1 Aug 2000 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $40K | — | — | 9 | County |
| 26 Oct 2003 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $6.0M | — | — | 7 | County |
| 14 Feb 2019 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $70M | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 2001 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | — | — | — | 6 | County |
| 19 Jul 2015 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $50M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 3 Jul 2003 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $750K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 17 Jun 2002 | Wildfire | Wildfire | — | $300K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 14 Feb 2019 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $20K | — | — | 4 | County |
| 6 Aug 2015 | Tornado | Tornado | EF1 | $18M | — | — | 2 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2026 | FM-5636 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Bain Fire | Public assistance |
| 11 Sep 2024 | FM-5538 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Airport Fire | Public assistance |
| 21 Jul 2024 | FM-5515 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Hawarden Fire | Public assistance |
| 21 Nov 2023 | DR-4750 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Hilary | Public assistance |
| 9 Jan 2023 | EM-3591 | Emergency | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 6 Sep 2022 | FM-5451 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Fairview Fire | Public assistance |
| 26 Oct 2020 | FM-5381 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Blue Ridge Fire | Public assistance |
| 2 Aug 2020 | FM-5325 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Apple 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 |
| 31 Oct 2019 | FM-5300 | Fire management assistance | Fire | 46 Fire | Public assistance |
| 30 Oct 2019 | FM-5299 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Hill Fire | Public assistance |
| 1 May 2019 | DR-4431 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Public assistance |
| 9 Aug 2018 | FM-5268 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Holy Fire | Public assistance |
| 25 Jul 2018 | FM-5260 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Cranston Fire | Public assistance |
| 8 Dec 2017 | EM-3396 | Emergency | Fire | Wildfires | 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 |
| 8 Aug 2013 | FM-5041 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Silver Fire | Public assistance |
| 6 Aug 2013 | FM-5040 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Falls Fire | Public assistance |
| 1 May 2013 | FM-5023 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Summit Fire | Public assistance |
| 26 Jan 2011 | DR-1952 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Debris And Mud Flows | Public assistance |
| 8 Mar 2010 | DR-1884 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | 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 |
| 13 Mar 2007 | DR-1689 | Major disaster | Freezing | Severe Freeze | Individual assistance |
| 26 Oct 2006 | FM-2678 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Esperanza Fire | Public assistance |
| 17 Sep 2006 | FM-2676 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Orchard Fire | Public assistance |
| 6 Feb 2006 | FM-2630 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sierra Fire | Public assistance |
| 6 Oct 2005 | FM-2584 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Woodhouse 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 |
| 18 Jul 2004 | FM-2533 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Melton Wildfire-07-18-2004 | Public assistance |
| 14 Jul 2004 | FM-2530 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Lakeview-07-14-2004 | Public assistance |
| 4 May 2004 | FM-2517 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Cerritos Fire-5-04-2004 | Public assistance |
| 4 May 2004 | FM-2516 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Eagle Fire-05-04-2004 | Public assistance |
| 26 Apr 2004 | FM-2515 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca - Pleasure Fire - 04-25-2004 | Public assistance |
| 27 Oct 2003 | DR-1498 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow And Debris Flow Directly Related T | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Oct 2003 | FM-2507 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Mountain Fire-10-26-2003 | Public assistance |
| 21 Oct 2003 | FM-2500 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Pass Fire | Public assistance |
| 19 Aug 2003 | FM-2491 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Locust Wildfire-08-19-2003 | Public assistance |
| 25 Jul 2003 | FM-2487 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Canyon Fire | Public assistance |
| 3 Jul 2003 | FM-2475 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Railroad Fire-07-03-2003 | Public assistance |
| 9 Feb 1998 | DR-1203 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | 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 |
| 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 |
| 2 Jul 1992 | DR-947 | Major disaster | Earthquake | Earthquake & Aftershocks | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 11 Feb 1991 | DR-894 | Major disaster | Freezing | Severe Freeze | Individual assistance |
| 30 Jun 1990 | DR-872 | Major disaster | Fire | Fires | Individual assistance |
| 22 Sep 1983 | DR-690 | Major disaster | Flood | Flash Flooding | Public assistance |
| 1 Jul 1983 | DR-687 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Feb 1983 | DR-677 | Major disaster | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides & Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public 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 |
| 27 Jul 1979 | DR-594 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains, Flash Floods & Mud Flows | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 15 Feb 1978 | DR-547 | Major disaster | Flood | Coastal Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 21 Sep 1976 | DR-521 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding, Tropical Storm Kathleen | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Jan 1969 | DR-253 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 2 Jan 1967 | DR-223 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 7 Dec 1965 | DR-211 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | $52,860 | $52,860 |
| 2025 | 9 | 5 | $691,369 | $138,274 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | $45,540 | $22,770 |
| 2023 | 74 | 45 | $3,298,966 | $73,310 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3 | $133,799 | $44,600 |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | $19,615 | $9,808 |
| 2020 | 11 | 9 | $292,380 | $32,487 |
| 2019 | 27 | 16 | $434,839 | $27,177 |
| 2018 | 15 | 10 | $490,760 | $49,076 |
| 2017 | 27 | 13 | $237,673 | $18,283 |
| 2016 | 18 | 6 | $62,632 | $10,439 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | $24,752 | $24,752 |
| 2014 | 87 | 71 | $6,827,762 | $96,166 |
| 2013 | 13 | 10 | $565,364 | $56,536 |
| 2012 | 6 | 3 | $30,415 | $10,138 |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 | $3,902 | $3,902 |
| 2010 | 35 | 29 | $859,921 | $29,652 |
| 2008 | 10 | 7 | $115,192 | $16,456 |
| 2007 | 3 | 1 | $7,711 | $7,711 |
| 2006 | 4 | 1 | $1,107 | $1,107 |
| 2005 | 47 | 38 | $575,330 | $15,140 |
| 2004 | 7 | 4 | $19,698 | $4,925 |
| 2003 | 9 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2002 | 2 | 1 | $9,931 | $9,931 |
| 2001 | 5 | 2 | $11,958 | $5,979 |
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 | $1,127,003,661 | |
| Earthquake | $763,784,550 | |
| Wildfire | $346,642,805 | |
| Heat wave | $18,392,623 | |
| Tornado | $5,854,192 | |
| Landslide | $1,077,324 | |
| Hail | $989,710 | |
| Lightning | $797,037 | |
| Strong wind | $613,956 | |
| Drought | $220,571 | |
| Cold wave | $138,854 | |
| Winter weather | $118,964 | |
| Hurricane | $2,672 | |
| Avalanche | $652 | |
| Volcanic activity | $72 |
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
- 92260 278
- 92530 200
- 92264 125
- 92270 102
- 92262 100
- 92276 64
- 92210 59
- 92253 57
- 92330 42
- 92240 33
- 92234 29
- 92509 29
- 92583 28
- 92860 25
- 92878 24
- 92562 23
- 92533 20
- 92211 18
- 92531 18
- 92880 18
- 92882 16
- 92590 14
- 92241 13
- 92544 12
- 92570 12
- 91752 11
- 92261 11
- 92585 11
- 91720 9
- 92507 9
- 92543 9
- 92545 9
- 92587 9
- 92504 8
- 92555 8
- 92201 7
- 92223 7
- 92263 7
- 92343 7
- 92506 7
- 92582 7
- 92203 6
- 92225 6
- 92567 6
- 92592 6
- 92881 6
- 92254 5
- 92883 5
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 Riverside County, CA?
NCEI records 31 hail events in Riverside County since 1950, in 18 different years; that is about 0.4 recorded events a year. 1 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Riverside County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 27 tornadoes in Riverside County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Riverside County?
20 May 2026: Bain Fire, a fire management assistance declaration for fire. The county appears in 66 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Riverside County, and how much was paid?
1,636 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,092 of them paid, for $21M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Riverside 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 Riverside County compare with the rest of California?
12.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 26.2 statewide, and 0.7 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.