Natural disaster risk in Pima County, Arizona
Arizona · population 1,042,716 · FIPS 04019
Overall: relatively high risk
Pima County has a composite risk score of 99.1 out of 100 — among the highest 1% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 15 in Arizona (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are heat wave, inland (riverine) flooding, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 23.41% of Pima County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 41.54% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Pima County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively high 99.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $531.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 99.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 50.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 20.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Pima County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Heat wave | Very high 99 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Very high 97 |
| Wildfire | Relatively high 99 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 37 |
| Landslide | Very low 58 |
| Avalanche | Very low 46 |
| Hurricane | Very low 18 |
| Cold wave | Very low 3 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Pima County
Federal declarations that designated Pima County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Pima County.
All FEMA declarations in Arizona, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Pima County, Arizona?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pima County as relatively high, with a score of 99.1 out of 100 (among the highest 1% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Pima County?
The hazards rated highest for Pima County are heat wave (very high), inland (riverine) flooding (very high), lightning (very high).
What is the flood risk in Pima County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Pima County as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Pima County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Pima County.
Is Pima County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 23.41% of Pima County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 41.54% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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