Florida heat wave risk
Miami-Dade County has the highest heat wave risk in Florida, scoring 99.3 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA has recorded 141 heat wave events across Florida over the past decade.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami-Dade County | 99.3 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 2 | Broward County | 98.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | Palm Beach County | 98.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 4 | Hillsborough County | 97 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 5 | Duval County | 96.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 6 | Pinellas County | 95.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Escambia County | 94.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Orange County | 94.1 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 9 | Collier County | 93.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Polk County | 93.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Lee County | 93.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Leon County | 91.9 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 13 | Marion County | 90.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 14 | Pasco County | 90.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Sarasota County | 89.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 16 | Manatee County | 88.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 17 | Okaloosa County | 88.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 18 | Santa Rosa County | 86.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 19 | Alachua County | 86.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 20 | Brevard County | 85.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 21 | Volusia County | 85.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 22 | Bay County | 84.3 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 23 | Clay County | 82.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 24 | St. Johns County | 82.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 25 | St. Lucie County | 80.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 26 | Lake County | 79.8 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 27 | Seminole County | 77.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 28 | Osceola County | 77.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 29 | Columbia County | 76.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Hernando County | 76.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Citrus County | 75.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Charlotte County | 75.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Sumter County | 72.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Highlands County | 72.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Nassau County | 71.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Flagler County | 70.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Walton County | 69.4 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 38 | Jackson County | 68.5 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 39 | Martin County | 67.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Gadsden County | 67.7 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 41 | Putnam County | 66.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Monroe County | 65.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Indian River County | 63.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 44 | Suwannee County | 58.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 45 | Baker County | 57.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 46 | Hendry County | 54 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 47 | Levy County | 53.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 48 | Taylor County | 53.1 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 49 | Washington County | 49.9 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 50 | DeSoto County | 48.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 51 | Bradford County | 47.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 52 | Wakulla County | 46.9 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 53 | Okeechobee County | 46.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 54 | Madison County | 44.8 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 55 | Jefferson County | 44.7 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 56 | Calhoun County | 42.3 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 57 | Holmes County | 42 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 58 | Hamilton County | 40.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 59 | Gulf County | 39 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 60 | Gilchrist County | 37.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Union County | 36.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Dixie County | 36.5 | Very Low | 5 |
| 63 | Franklin County | 35.9 | Very Low | 8 |
| 64 | Hardee County | 34.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Glades County | 30.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Lafayette County | 25.7 | Very Low | 6 |
| 67 | Liberty County | 24.1 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Florida:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in Florida?
Miami-Dade County, FL has the highest heat wave risk in Florida, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.3 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes heat wave risk in Florida?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.