Santa Cruz County, California Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record
This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).
NCEI has 214 storm events on record for Santa Cruz County, California, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
The newest event on record is a flood event on 5 Jan 2026.
FEMA has 34 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4769 of 13 Apr 2024.
OpenFEMA has 1,633 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $25 million on these claims.
The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.
The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.
The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .
This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.
The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.
It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.
The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.
Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .
Since the last update: no change is on record for Santa Cruz County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data
The five hazards
| Hazard | 1950 to 2026 | 2000 to 2009 | 2010 to 2019 | 2020 to 2026 | Newest event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 21 | 4 | 9 | 7 | |
| Tornado | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Flood | 97 | 11 | 38 | 31 | |
| Wind | 11 | 3 | 0 | 7 | |
| Winter | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Other event types | 76 | Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types | |||
| All storm events | 214 | 25 | 112 | 52 | |
A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.
Forecast zones with the name of the county give 9 of the 214 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.
| Measure | Santa Cruz | All counties of California | All counties of the United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 2026 | 48.1 | 9.6 | 49.3 |
| Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026 | 8.0 | 3.8 | 52.5 |
| NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025 | 189.5 | 52.5 | 185.3 |
The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.
Newest storm events on record
Flood
2 miles SW of PARADISE PARK
Flood
4 miles N of SOQUEL
Thunderstorm Wind67 mph (58 knots, estimated gust)
At REDWOOD GROVE
Thunderstorm Wind91 mph (79 knots, measured gust)
2 miles SE of SANTA CRUZ
Flood
1 mile NE of LA SELVA BEACH
Flood
1 mile SSE of BROOKDALE
Flood
1 mile SSE of MESA VLG
Debris Flow
2 miles E of BIG BASIN
Flood
1 mile WNW of TWIN LAKES
Flood
3 miles N of SAN LORENZO
Flood
2 miles E of BIG BASIN
Flood
1 mile SSE of PARADISE PARK
TornadoEF1
At SCOTTS VLY. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile SSE of MESA VLG
Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile N of CAPITOLA. Damage estimate: $10
Thunderstorm Wind75 mph (65 knots, estimated gust)
2 miles N of ELLICOTT. Damage estimate: $10
Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)
1 mile NW of WILDWOOD. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile SE of MESA VLG
Flood
2 miles S of SWANTON. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
At FELTON. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile ENE of SANTA CRUZ. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile W of SANTA CRUZ. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile SW of SANTA CRUZ. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile NW of TWIN LAKES. Damage estimate: $10
Hail0.25 in, pea size
At SCOTTS VLY. Damage estimate: $10
The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)
| Decade | Year that ends in 0 | Year that ends in 1 | Year that ends in 2 | Year that ends in 3 | Year that ends in 4 | Year that ends in 5 | Year that ends in 6 | Year that ends in 7 | Year that ends in 8 | Year that ends in 9 | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 22 |
| 2000s | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 25 |
| 2010s | 2 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 41 | 8 | 27 | 112 |
| 2020s | 10 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 2 (part of the year) | 52 |
A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.
NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.
FEMA disaster declarations
FEMA has 34 disaster declarations on record for Santa Cruz County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4769: SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES.
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident type | Title in the FEMA record | Assistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4769 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-4699 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | Individual, Public | |
| EM-3592 | Emergency | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-4683 | Major disaster | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | Individual, Public | |
| EM-3591 | Emergency | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-4558 | Major disaster | Fire | WILDFIRES | Individual, Public | |
| FM-5336 | Fire management assistance | Fire | CZU LIGHTNING FIRE COMPLEX | Public | |
| DR-4482 | Major disaster | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | Individual, Public | |
| EM-3428 | Emergency | Biological | COVID-19 | Public | |
| DR-4308 | Major disaster | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-4305 | Major disaster | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-4301 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-1968 | Major disaster | Tsunami | TSUNAMI WAVES | Public | |
| FM-2824 | Fire management assistance | Fire | LOCKHEED FIRE | Public | |
| EM-3287 | Emergency | Fire | WILDFIRES | Public | |
| FM-2775 | Fire management assistance | Fire | TRABING FIRE | Public | |
| FM-2772 | Fire management assistance | Fire | MARTIN FIRE | Public | |
| FM-2766 | Fire management assistance | Fire | SUMMIT FIRE | Public | |
| DR-1646 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | Public | |
| DR-1628 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES, AND LANDSLIDES | Public | |
| EM-3248 | Emergency | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | Public | |
| FM-2465 | Fire management assistance | Fire | CROY FIRE | Public | |
| DR-1203 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | Individual, Public | |
| DR-1155 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUD AND LANDSLIDES | Individual, Public | |
| DR-1046 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOW | Individual, Public | |
| DR-1044 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, MUD FLOWS | Individual, Public | |
| DR-894 | Major disaster | Freezing | SEVERE FREEZE | Individual | |
| DR-845 | Major disaster | Earthquake | LOMA PRIETA EARTHQUAKE | Individual, Public | |
| DR-758 | Major disaster | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | Individual, Public | |
| DR-739 | Major disaster | Fire | GRASS, WILDLANDS, & FOREST FIRES | Individual, Public | |
| DR-677 | Major disaster | Coastal Storm | COASTAL STORMS, FLOODS, SLIDES & TORNADOES | Individual, Public | |
| DR-651 | Major disaster | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOOD, MUDSLIDES & HIGH TIDE | Individual, Public | |
| DR-615 | Major disaster | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, MUDSLIDES & FLOODING | Public | |
| EM-3023 | Emergency | Drought | DROUGHT | Public |
DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the California page. What a disaster declaration is
The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).
Flood insurance claims (NFIP)
OpenFEMA has 1,633 NFIP claims on record for Santa Cruz County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.
The NFIP paid $24,900,666 on 1,098 claims.
The county has 189.5 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 397 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 2,095 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.
| Decade | Year that ends in 0 | Year that ends in 1 | Year that ends in 2 | Year that ends in 3 | Year that ends in 4 | Year that ends in 5 | Year that ends in 6 | Year that ends in 7 | Year that ends in 8 | Year that ends in 9 | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17 | 3 | 20 | ||||||||
| 1980s | 40 | 32 | 207 | 180 | 2 | 3 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 549 |
| 1990s | 0 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 94 | 33 | 27 | 292 | 9 | 480 |
| 2000s | 36 | 10 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 124 |
| 2010s | 6 | 29 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 102 | 1 | 4 | 193 |
| 2020s | 0 | 7 | 97 | 155 | 7 | 1 | 0 (part of the year) | 267 |
A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.
NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 45 years
| Year of loss | Claims | Claims with a payment | Amount paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | not shown | not shown |
| 2024 | 7 | not shown | not shown |
| 2023 | 155 | 115 | $7,842,591 |
| 2022 | 97 | 82 | $4,211,161 |
| 2021 | 7 | not shown | not shown |
| 2019 | 4 | not shown | not shown |
| 2018 | 1 | not shown | not shown |
| 2017 | 102 | 59 | $1,227,690 |
| 2016 | 23 | 11 | $113,953 |
| 2015 | 2 | not shown | not shown |
| 2014 | 8 | 6 | $58,281 |
| 2013 | 2 | not shown | not shown |
| 2012 | 16 | 11 | $252,786 |
| 2011 | 29 | 23 | $590,762 |
| 2010 | 6 | not shown | not shown |
| 2009 | 2 | not shown | not shown |
| 2008 | 9 | 8 | $184,225 |
| 2006 | 11 | not shown | not shown |
| 2005 | 20 | 15 | $337,194 |
| 2004 | 8 | 5 | $34,299 |
| 2003 | 8 | not shown | not shown |
| 2002 | 20 | 16 | $162,938 |
| 2001 | 10 | 5 | $58,576 |
| 2000 | 36 | 20 | $196,320 |
| 1999 | 9 | not shown | not shown |
| 1998 | 292 | 218 | $4,330,073 |
| 1997 | 27 | 12 | $189,993 |
| 1996 | 33 | 19 | $97,548 |
| 1995 | 94 | 50 | $584,953 |
| 1994 | 2 | not shown | not shown |
| 1993 | 7 | not shown | not shown |
| 1992 | 13 | not shown | not shown |
| 1991 | 3 | not shown | not shown |
| 1989 | 14 | 0 | $0 |
| 1988 | 1 | not shown | not shown |
| 1987 | 2 | not shown | not shown |
| 1986 | 68 | 43 | $211,626 |
| 1985 | 3 | not shown | not shown |
| 1984 | 2 | not shown | not shown |
| 1983 | 180 | 140 | $1,910,570 |
| 1982 | 207 | 154 | $1,691,264 |
| 1981 | 32 | 19 | $55,772 |
| 1980 | 40 | 22 | $127,243 |
| 1979 | 3 | not shown | not shown |
| 1978 | 17 | 13 | $47,848 |
A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 121 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims
This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.
Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county
FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.
National Risk Index
- Risk Index rating
- Relatively High
- Risk Index score
- 97.8 of 100
- Expected Annual Loss rating
- Relatively High
- Expected Annual Loss
- $335 million
- Social Vulnerability rating
- Relatively Low
- Community Resilience rating
- Relatively High
| Hazard type | Risk Index rating | Expected Annual Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very Low | $1 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Low | $117,354 |
| Drought | Relatively High | $18,213,974 |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | $189,998,217 |
| Hail | Very Low | $149,272 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | $2,505,782 |
| Inland flooding | Relatively High | $105,093,714 |
| Landslide | Relatively High | $2,069,664 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $353,402 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | $53,434 |
| Tornado | Very Low | $234,939 |
| Tsunami | Relatively Moderate | $7,552,972 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $9,027,167 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | $34,995 |
The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.
The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”
The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.
The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks
The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center goes through the 2025 season. It has no track at tropical storm strength within 100 miles of the centre point of Santa Cruz County.
ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Santa Cruz County
Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 3 more ZIP Codes have fewer than 5 claims and no page.
A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:
- Amesti
- Aptos
- Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley
- Ben Lomond
- Bonny Doon
- Boulder Creek
- Brookdale
- Capitola
- Corralitos
- Davenport
- Day Valley
- Felton
- Freedom
- Interlaken
- La Selva Beach
- Live Oak
- Lompico
- Mount Hermon
- Pajaro Dunes
- Paradise Park
- Pasatiempo
- Pleasure Point
- Rio del Mar
- Santa Cruz
- Scotts Valley
- Seacliff
- Soquel
- Twin Lakes
- Watsonville
- Zayante
Official channels
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address (opens in a new tab)Search an address to see its flood map. This site has no flood-zone data.
- National Weather Service: San Francisco Bay Area, CA (opens in a new tab)The forecast office that issues the weather warnings for the county.
- California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (opens in a new tab)The emergency management agency of the state.
- NCEI Storm Events Database (opens in a new tab)Search the full NCEI record by state, county and date.
These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .
Cite this page
County Hazards. "Santa Cruz County, California: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/ca/santa-cruz/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .
Where the data comes from
- Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
- Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
- NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
- National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
- Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.
How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter
Questions
- How many tornado events are on record for Santa Cruz County?
- NCEI has 8 tornado events on record for Santa Cruz County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. No event has a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
- How large is the hail on record for Santa Cruz County?
- NCEI has 21 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 1 event has a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
- Which month has the most storm events on record for Santa Cruz County?
- January has 81 of the 214 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
- How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Santa Cruz County?
- The county has 189.5 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 397 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 2,095 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.