Natural disaster risk in Yolo County, California

California · population 216,393 · FIPS 06113

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Yolo County has a composite risk score of 91.4 out of 100 — higher than 91% of US counties. It ranks 38 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, earthquake, inland (riverine) flooding.

Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 96.04% of Yolo 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 29 weeks in a row.

Drought in Yolo 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

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively moderate 91.4
Expected annual loss
About $116.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 92
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 24.2
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively high 69.4

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Yolo County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Drought Very high 99
Earthquake Relatively moderate 97
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 89
Landslide Relatively low 86
Wildfire Relatively low 86
Heat wave Relatively low 78
Lightning Relatively low 44
Volcanic activity Very low 62
Tornado Very low 22
Hail Very low 11
Strong wind Very low 8
Avalanche Very low 7
Winter weather Very low 1
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Cold wave No rating
Hurricane Not applicable
Ice storm Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Yolo County

Federal declarations that designated Yolo 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 Yolo County.

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 Yolo County, California?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Yolo County as relatively moderate, with a score of 91.4 out of 100 (higher than 91% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Yolo County?

The hazards rated highest for Yolo County are drought (very high), earthquake (relatively moderate), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Yolo County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Yolo County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Yolo County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Yolo County.

Is Yolo County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 96.04% of Yolo 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 29 weeks in a row.

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