California winter weather risk
Calaveras County has the highest winter weather risk in California, scoring 91.6 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calaveras County | 91.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 2 | Amador County | 86.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | El Dorado County | 85.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 4 | Mono County | 84.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 5 | Lassen County | 82.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | Kern County | 82.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Mariposa County | 77.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Los Angeles County | 74.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Siskiyou County | 74.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Shasta County | 70.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Nevada County | 69.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Madera County | 68 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Riverside County | 66.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 14 | Plumas County | 65.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Tuolumne County | 64.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 16 | Alpine County | 49.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Inyo County | 49.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | San Bernardino County | 48.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | San Diego County | 48.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Placer County | 47.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | San Joaquin County | 42.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Stanislaus County | 36.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Modoc County | 34.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Sierra County | 33.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Santa Cruz County | 31.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Lake County | 26.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Butte County | 25.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Tulare County | 24.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 29 | Mendocino County | 22.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Merced County | 19.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 31 | Fresno County | 17.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 32 | Humboldt County | 10.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 33 | Del Norte County | 9.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 34 | Yuba County | 9.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 35 | Contra Costa County | 9.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 36 | Sonoma County | 8.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 37 | Trinity County | 7.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 38 | Sacramento County | 6.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 39 | Monterey County | 5.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 40 | Sutter County | 5.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Alameda County | 4.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Solano County | 4.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Napa County | 4.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Marin County | 4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | San Mateo County | 3.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Santa Clara County | 3.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Kings County | 2.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | San Luis Obispo County | 2.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Tehama County | 2.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Yolo County | 1.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Colusa County | 1.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | San Benito County | 1.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Santa Barbara County | 1.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Ventura County | 1.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Glenn County | 1.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Orange County | 1.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | San Francisco County | 1.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Imperial County | 1.1 | 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.
Winter Weather risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in California:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest winter weather risk county in California?
Calaveras County, CA has the highest winter weather risk in California, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 91.6 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes winter weather risk in California?
Winter weather risk captures expected losses from heavy snow, blizzards, and mixed precipitation. Highest scores appear in the Great Lakes snowbelt, northern Rockies, and interior Northeast, where lake-effect and orographic snowfall is frequent. Winter weather impacts transportation networks, utilities, agriculture, and population health.