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Natural hazard risk in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Very High (score 99.6 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$824.7 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1965
39[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$855.8 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
41[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall natural hazard risk in Miami-Dade County as Very High[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA scores in this county are hurricane, lightning and inland flooding[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Miami-Dade County at $824.7 million a year[1]. This is a FEMA estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid[7]. The largest hazard-type losses are inland flooding ($355.8 million a year) and hurricane ($330.6 million a year), followed by cold wave ($41.0 million a year)[8]. FEMA rates social vulnerability as Relatively High (score 75.8), which is how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause[9]. FEMA rates community resilience as Relatively Moderate (score 42.9), which is a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards[10]. FEMA says the index is not meant to predict damage in the next year[7].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
HurricaneVery High$330.6 million[11]
LightningVery High$8.3 million[12]
Inland FloodingVery High$355.8 million[13]
Coastal FloodingVery High$22.8 million[14]
Cold WaveVery High$41.0 million[15]
Heat WaveRelatively High$31.1 million[16]
TornadoRelatively High$24.8 million[17]
WildfireRelatively Moderate$5.2 million[18]
HailRelatively High$2.9 million[19]
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$1.1 million[20]
DroughtRelatively Moderate$663,000[21]
EarthquakeRelatively Low$385,000[22]
LandslideVery Low$820[23]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, ice storm, volcanic activity[24].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively High75.8[9]
Community resilienceRelatively Moderate42.9[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates coastal flooding risk as Very High (score 99.6) and inland flooding risk as Very High (score 99.7) compared with other US counties[14][13]. OpenFEMA lists 164,154 residential flood insurance contracts in force out of 492,181 residential structures, a rate of 33.4% (as of 2026-08-03)[25]. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, there were 148,389 residential flood insurance contracts for 199,250 residential structures, a rate of 74.5%[25]. HazardFacts tallied 62,029 NFIP claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $855.8 million in total[3]. To learn about the flood zone of an address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[26].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[13] Very High, $355.8 million expected loss a year
Coastal Flooding, FEMA risk rating[14] Very High, $22.8 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[25] 164,154 of 492,181 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[25] 199,250, of which 148,389 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 62,029 filed, $855.8 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[26]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 39 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Miami-Dade County since 1965[2]. Hurricane declarations number 23 of them[2]. The most recent listed is DR-4834-FL for Hurricane Milton, declared 2024-10-11[27]. NOAA's tornado database records 41 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024, and the strongest were rated F2[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Miami-Dade County, since 1965
Incident type Declarations
Hurricane[2] 23
Severe Storm[2] 5
Freezing[2] 5
Fire[2] 4
Tornado[2] 1
Tropical Storm[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
DR-4834-FL[27] Hurricane Milton 2024-10-11
EM-3622-FL[27] Hurricane Milton 2024-10-07
DR-4680-FL[27] Hurricane Nicole 2022-12-13
EM-3587-FL[27] Tropical Storm Nicole 2022-11-08
DR-4673-FL[27] Hurricane Ian 2022-09-29

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Hurricanes

Before

  • Know your hurricane risk, including rain, wind and tornadoes far inland from landfall.
  • Learn your evacuation zone and routes, and practice them with your household and pets.
  • Keep insurance policies and ID current, with password-protected digital copies.
  • Clear drains and gutters, bring in outdoor furniture and consider hurricane shutters.
  • Keep your phone charged, buy backup chargers and gather supplies, including medication and pet supplies.

During

  • If you are in a mandatory evacuation zone and officials order an evacuation, leave right away.
  • For high winds, take shelter in a designated storm shelter or an interior room.
  • If you are trapped by flooding, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, hurricanes

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Winter storms and cold

Before

  • Insulate your home and learn how to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Install and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup.
  • Keep several days of supplies in case the power goes out, including medication and pet needs.
  • Put an emergency kit in your car with jumper cables, sand, blankets, water and snacks, and keep the tank full.

During

  • Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away.
  • Stay off the roads if you can. If you are stuck in your car, stay inside it.
  • Run generators and grills only outdoors, away from windows, and never heat your home with an oven or stove.

Source: Ready.gov, winter storms and cold

Questions people ask

Is Miami-Dade County at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding risk as Very High (score 99.7) and coastal flooding risk as Very High (score 99.6) compared with other US counties[13][14]. FEMA lists inland flooding at $355.8 million a year in expected annual loss[8].
Is Miami-Dade County at risk of hurricanes?
FEMA rates hurricane risk as Very High (score 99.9) compared with other US counties[11]. OpenFEMA lists 23 hurricane declarations that include the county since 1965[2].
How many disasters have been declared in Miami-Dade County?
OpenFEMA lists 39 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include the county since 1965[2].
Is Miami-Dade County at risk of earthquakes?
FEMA rates earthquake risk as Relatively Low (score 62.0) compared with other US counties[22]. FEMA lists $385,000 a year in expected annual loss from earthquakes[22].
How do I check the flood zone of an address?
FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps[26]. County ratings do not tell you the flood zone of a single address[26].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Miami-Dade County is $824.7 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively High, score 99.5). Of this, buildings account for $592.2 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 39 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Miami-Dade County since 1965 (22 major disaster, 17 emergency or fire management). By incident type: hurricane 23, severe storm 5, freezing 5, fire 4, tornado 1, tropical storm 1. Biological (such as... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 62,029 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Miami-Dade County, 36,722 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $855.8 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 41 recorded tornadoes touched Miami-Dade County. The strongest were rated F2 (most recent of them on 2003-03-27). 0 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-10-09. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Miami-Dade County is Very High, with a Risk Index score of 99.6 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Miami-Dade County are hurricane (99.9, Very High), lightning (99.9, Very High), inland flooding (99.7, Very High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores; FEMA's... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  8. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Miami-Dade County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are inland flooding ($355.8 million a year), hurricane ($330.6 million a year), cold wave ($41.0 million a year), out of $824.7 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Miami-Dade County is Relatively High (score 75.8). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Miami-Dade County is Relatively Moderate (score 42.9). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $330.6 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 0.3 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172 years for the... FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $8.3 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 97.7 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $355.8 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 4 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 26 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), coastal flooding in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $22.8 million a year (rating Very High). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 2.2502 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $41.0 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 1.28 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 99.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $31.1 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 6.16 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18... FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 98.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $24.8 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 1.07 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 96.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $5.2 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0067 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 96.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.9 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 0.56 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 82.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.1 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.76 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of... FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 79.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $663,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 8.94 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22... FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 62.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $385,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0002 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Miami-Dade County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 46.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $820 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Miami-Dade County: avalanche, ice storm, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered geographically possible there. FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  25. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 164,154 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Miami-Dade County, out of 492,181 residential structures, a penetration rate of 33.4%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 199,250 residential structures and 148,389... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  26. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  27. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.