Natural disaster risk in San Diego County, California
California · population 3,295,981 · FIPS 06073
Overall: very high risk
San Diego County has a composite risk score of 99.7 out of 100 — among the highest 1% of US counties. It ranks 6 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are wildfire, inland (riverine) flooding, earthquake.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 65.47% of San Diego County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 28 weeks in a row.
Drought in San Diego 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. |
Very high 99.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $1.5 billion a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very high 99.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 24.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 8.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in San Diego County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Wildfire | Very high 100 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very high 99 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 99 |
| Landslide | Relatively high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 52 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 64 |
| Drought | Relatively low 59 |
| Tsunami | Relatively low 52 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 48 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 33 |
| Avalanche | Very low 32 |
| Hurricane | Very low 8 |
| Cold wave | Very low 3 |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for San Diego County
Federal declarations that designated San Diego County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. San Diego County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4758-CA (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 19 Feb 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4758-CA | Major disaster | Severe Storm and Flooding | 19 Feb 2024 | Yes |
All FEMA declarations in California, 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 San Diego County, California?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in San Diego County as very high, with a score of 99.7 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 San Diego County?
The hazards rated highest for San Diego County are wildfire (very high), inland (riverine) flooding (very high), earthquake (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in San Diego County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in San Diego County as very high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has San Diego County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. San Diego County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4758-CA (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 19 Feb 2024.
Is San Diego County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 65.47% of San Diego County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 28 weeks in a row.
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