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Natural hazard risk in Harris County, Texas

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

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Very High (score 99.9 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$2.22 billion[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1973
39[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$8.76 billion[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
251[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates overall natural hazard risk in Harris County, Texas, Very High relative to all US counties, with a score of 99.9 out of 100[5]. Within the county, the hazards with the highest FEMA scores are hurricane, tornado 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 estimates Expected Annual Loss from natural hazards in Harris County at $2.22 billion a year[1]. This is FEMA's estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid. Inland flooding accounts for the largest single share in FEMA's estimate at $1.12 billion a year[7], followed by hurricane at $457.9 million[8] and tornado at $407.4 million[9]. FEMA rates social vulnerability in the county Relatively High (score 67.9), which describes how susceptible social groups are to harm from hazards[10]. FEMA rates community resilience Very Low (score 17.8), which describes a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards[11].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
HurricaneVery High$457.9 million[8]
TornadoVery High$407.4 million[9]
Inland FloodingVery High$1.12 billion[7]
Cold WaveVery High$118.1 million[12]
LightningVery High$8.6 million[13]
Heat WaveVery High$80.4 million[14]
Ice StormVery High$4.1 million[15]
Strong WindVery High$7.7 million[16]
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$5.9 million[17]
HailRelatively Moderate$1.6 million[18]
Winter WeatherRelatively High$296,000[19]
LandslideRelatively Moderate$37,000[20]
WildfireRelatively Low$562,000[21]
Coastal FloodingRelatively High$2.5 million[22]
DroughtRelatively Moderate$550,000[23]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, 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 High67.9[10]
Community resilienceVery Low17.8[11]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates inland flooding risk in Harris County Very High (score 99.9)[7] and coastal flooding risk Relatively High (score 83.2)[22]. OpenFEMA data show 206,279 residential flood insurance contracts in force as of 2026-08-03, a penetration rate of 16.6%[25]. A HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA records counts 170,854 NFIP claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, with $8.76 billion paid by the program[3]. The year with the most paid claims was 2017, with 42,810[3].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[7] Very High, $1.12 billion expected loss a year
Coastal Flooding, FEMA risk rating[22] Relatively High, $2.5 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[25] 206,279 of 1,245,880 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[25] 113,215, of which 54,764 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 170,854 filed, $8.76 billion 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 Harris County since 1973, including 12 for hurricanes and 12 for floods[2]. The most recent was DR-4798-TX for Hurricane Beryl, declared 2024-07-09[27]. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center database records 251 tornadoes in the county from 1950 to 2024, and the strongest were rated F4[4]. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-12-28[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Harris County, since 1973
Incident type Declarations
Hurricane[2] 12
Flood[2] 12
Severe Storm[2] 8
Fire[2] 3
Severe Ice Storm[2] 2
Coastal Storm[2] 1
Tornado[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
DR-4798-TX[27] Hurricane Beryl 2024-07-09
DR-4781-TX[27] Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding 2024-05-17
DR-4586-TX[27] Severe Winter Storms 2021-02-19
EM-3554-TX[27] Severe Winter Storm 2021-02-14
EM-3540-TX[27] Tropical Storms Marco And Laura 2020-08-24

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

Tornadoes

Before

  • Learn the warning signs: a rotating funnel cloud, an approaching cloud of debris or a loud roar like a freight train.
  • Sign up for community warning systems and learn what your local sirens sound like.
  • Pick a safe spot, such as a safe room built to FEMA criteria or an ICC 500 storm shelter, and practice getting there.
  • Include your pets in the household emergency plan.
  • Keep supplies, food, water and medication in case you have to stay home for a long time.

During

  • Go right away to the safe place you picked in advance.
  • Protect your head and neck with your arms and stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
  • No place in a car is fully safe. If you can get lower than the road, leave the car and lie down there.

Source: Ready.gov, tornadoes

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

Questions people ask

Is Harris County at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding risk in Harris County Very High relative to all US counties, with a score of 99.9[7]. NFIP paid $8.76 billion for flood losses in the county from 1978 to 2026, according to a HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA claims[3].
How do I check if a Harris County address is in a flood zone?
County ratings do not tell you the flood zone of a single address. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or ask the local floodplain manager[26].
How often do hurricanes affect Harris County?
FEMA rates hurricane risk in Harris County Very High, with a score of 100.0, and lists an annualized frequency of 0.18 events per year[8]. OpenFEMA lists 12 hurricane disaster declarations that include the county since 1973[2].
Does Harris County get tornadoes?
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center database records 251 tornadoes in Harris County from 1950 to 2024[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Very High relative to all US counties, with a score of 100.0[9].
How many federal disasters have been declared in Harris County?
OpenFEMA lists 39 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Harris County since 1973, of which 29 were major disasters[2].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Harris County is $2.22 billion a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Very High, score 99.9). Of this, buildings account for $1.59 billion, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for $622.1 million... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 39 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Harris County since 1973 (29 major disaster, 10 emergency or fire management). By incident type: hurricane 12, flood 12, severe storm 8, fire 3, severe ice storm 2, coastal storm 1, tornado 1. Biological... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 170,854 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Harris County, 140,105 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $8.76 billion 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): 251 recorded tornadoes touched Harris County. The strongest were rated F4 (most recent of them on 1992-11-21). 10 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-12-28. 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 Harris County is Very High, with a Risk Index score of 99.9 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 Harris County are hurricane (100.0, Very High), tornado (100.0, Very High), inland flooding (99.9, Very High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores; FEMA's scores... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.12 billion a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 5.14 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 26 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  8. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 100.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $457.9 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 0.18 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172 years for the... FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 100.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $407.4 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 1.61 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Harris County is Relatively High (score 67.9). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Harris County is Very Low (score 17.8). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $118.1 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 0.48 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $8.6 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 74.62 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $80.4 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 14.86 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $4.1 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 0.91 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Harris County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $7.7 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 1.52 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 92.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $5.9 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0005 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 91.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.6 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 2.35 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 88.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $296,000 a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 1.12 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 88.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $37,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 85.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $562,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0011 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), coastal flooding in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 83.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.5 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 3.7607 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Harris County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 75.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $550,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 15.94 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Harris County: avalanche, 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): 206,279 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Harris County, out of 1,245,880 residential structures, a penetration rate of 16.6%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 113,215 residential structures and 54,764... 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.