Top counties by lightning risk
Lightning risk reflects expected annual losses from cloud-to-ground strikes, which ignite building fires, damage electrical systems, and cause fatalities. Florida consistently leads the US in lightning density. High scores also appear across the Gulf Coast, Southeast, and central Plains, where afternoon convective storms are most frequent in summer months.
3,144 counties scored 109 rated Very High Showing top 50
| # | County | State | NRI score | Rating | NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broward County | FL | 100 | Very High | 21 |
| 2 | Honolulu County | HI | 100 | Very High | 2 |
| 3 | Miami-Dade County | FL | 99.9 | Very High | 13 |
| 4 | El Paso County | TX | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 5 | Harris County | TX | 99.9 | Very High | 28 |
| 6 | Lee County | FL | 99.8 | Very High | 7 |
| 7 | Palm Beach County | FL | 99.8 | Very High | 10 |
| 8 | Pinellas County | FL | 99.8 | Very High | 47 |
| 9 | Jefferson County | CO | 99.7 | Very High | 2 |
| 10 | Hillsborough County | FL | 99.7 | Very High | 12 |
| 11 | Jefferson County | TX | 99.7 | Very High | 3 |
| 12 | Montgomery County | TX | 99.7 | Very High | 10 |
| 13 | Coconino County | AZ | 99.6 | Very High | 6 |
| 14 | Polk County | FL | 99.6 | Very High | 1 |
| 15 | Sarasota County | FL | 99.6 | Very High | 4 |
| 16 | Jefferson County | AL | 99.5 | Very High | 3 |
| 17 | Navajo County | AZ | 99.5 | Very High | 0 |
| 18 | Orange County | FL | 99.5 | Very High | 5 |
| 19 | Brevard County | FL | 99.4 | Very High | 10 |
| 20 | Collier County | FL | 99.4 | Very High | 12 |
| 21 | Fort Bend County | TX | 99.4 | Very High | 5 |
| 22 | Douglas County | CO | 99.3 | Very High | 3 |
| 23 | Volusia County | FL | 99.3 | Very High | 13 |
| 24 | St. Louis County | MO | 99.3 | Very High | 3 |
| 25 | Larimer County | CO | 99.2 | Very High | 3 |
| 26 | Calcasieu Parish | LA | 99.2 | Very High | 4 |
| 27 | Washington County | UT | 99.2 | Very High | 2 |
| 28 | Apache County | AZ | 99.1 | Very High | 0 |
| 29 | Okaloosa County | FL | 99.1 | Very High | 2 |
| 30 | Utah County | UT | 99.1 | Very High | 1 |
| 31 | Boulder County | CO | 99 | Very High | 1 |
| 32 | Pueblo County | CO | 99 | Very High | 0 |
| 33 | Escambia County | FL | 99 | Very High | 4 |
| 34 | Marion County | FL | 99 | Very High | 9 |
| 35 | Baldwin County | AL | 98.9 | Very High | 8 |
| 36 | Yavapai County | AZ | 98.9 | Very High | 2 |
| 37 | El Paso County | CO | 98.9 | Very High | 2 |
| 38 | Manatee County | FL | 98.8 | Very High | 5 |
| 39 | Prince George's County | MD | 98.8 | Very High | 0 |
| 40 | Houston County | TX | 98.8 | Very High | 2 |
| 41 | Gwinnett County | GA | 98.7 | Very High | 11 |
| 42 | Lafayette Parish | LA | 98.7 | Very High | 4 |
| 43 | Orleans Parish | LA | 98.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 44 | Denver County | CO | 98.6 | Very High | 1 |
| 45 | DeKalb County | GA | 98.6 | Very High | 2 |
| 46 | Jefferson Parish | LA | 98.6 | Very High | 1 |
| 47 | Duval County | FL | 98.5 | Very High | 46 |
| 48 | Osceola County | FL | 98.5 | Very High | 0 |
| 49 | Monmouth County | NJ | 98.5 | Very High | 1 |
| 50 | Mobile County | AL | 98.4 | Very High | 3 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties — a score of 95 means this county's expected annual loss from lightning exceeds 95% of all other counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all 3,144 scored counties.
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