El Dorado County, CA Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 1,297 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $124M
- Relatively Moderate nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 1,297
- Most often heavy snow
- Flood insurance policies
- 244
- 0.3% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 91.4 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very Low
Score 18.1 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively High
Score 67.0 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $50.08B · Agriculture value exposed: $31.59M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $108M
Risk by hazard
- WildfireRelatively High$55.21M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 83 years
- LandslideRelatively Moderate$336K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.1 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$8.26M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 50 years
- AvalancheRelatively High$1.31M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
- Winter weatherRelatively High$345K/yr expected annual loss, about 28 events a year
- DroughtRelatively Moderate$933K/yr expected annual loss, about 63 events a year
- LightningRelatively Moderate$577K/yr expected annual loss, about 14 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Low$1M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.4 events a year
- Volcanic activityVery Low$40/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10,000 years
- HailVery Low$80.98K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 6 years
- Strong windRelatively Low$198K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 14 years
- TornadoVery Low$143K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, cold wave, hurricane, ice storm, riverine flooding, tsunami.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 244 of 81,842 (0.3%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 445
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 107 (24%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 207
- Claims paid since 1978
- $4.01M
Flood claims paid per year
- Flooding$978K · 66 claims
- California Atmospheric River$797K · 18 claims
- Pineapple Express - Southern$126K · 9 claims
- Winter storm$0 · 1 claim
Storm history
Since 1996: 1,297 events, 38 deaths, $533M in damage
- Heavy Snow668 · 1 death
- High Wind214 · 1 death
- Heavy Rain140 · 3 deaths
- Winter Weather95 · 3 deaths
- Flood52 · 1 death
- Winter Storm35 · 2 deaths
- Hail19
- Avalanche17 · 17 deaths
- Debris Flow15
- Strong Wind12 · 1 death
Events per year
5 tornadoes on record (EF0 2, EF1 2, F0 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Wildfire06/24/2007
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
3 injured, $500M damage
What happened
The human-caused Angora wildfire started on June 24th and continued to burn through the end of June. Strong winds gusting to 40 mph caused the wildfire to spread across 3,100 acres south of Lake Tahoe. A total of 254 houses and over 60 commercial structures were destroyed.
- Avalanche02/16/2026
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
9 deaths
What happened
Nevada Co Sheriff responded to a report of avalanche just north of Frog Lake near Castle Peak during the afternoon on the 17th. The avalanche caught a buried 15 backcountry skiers, resulting in 9 fatalities.
- Thunderstorm Wind39 kt wind06/21/2025
Fallen Leaf, El Dorado County
8 deaths
What happened
Buoy data on Lake Tahoe indicated a northerly wind gust of 45 mph from nearby showers and collapsing thunderstorms. This caused significant waves on Lake Tahoe, with multiple boats damaged and one boat capsized near Emerald Bay, causing 8 fatalities out of the 10 on board. The two that survived were wearing life jackets, while the other 8 did not.
- Heavy Rain05/26/2026
Riverton, El Dorado County
2 deaths, 2 injured
What happened
Broadcast Media relayed information from California Highway Patrol regarding an accident that occurred on May 26th around 4 PM PDT. Showers and thunderstorms brought wet road conditions on May 26th to Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Just east of Ice House Road, a vehicle veered off the roadway and into the American River. Rainfall amounts of 0.15-0.25 were observed at the time of the incident. A 35 year old woman died at the scene, and a 5 year old boy died in the hospital as a result of the accident. An 11 year old boy and a 41 year old man were injured from this accident.
- Winter Storm12/21/1996
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
2 deaths, $75K damage
What happened
A powerful winter storm ravaged the Greater Lake Tahoe area over a two and a half day period. The main portion of the storm dumped heavy snow over the region from late Friday night (20th) into early Sunday morning (22nd). The cold moist flow continued into early Monday morning, but snowfall amounts were not as significant as on Saturday into early Sunday. Some noteworthy snowfall amounts over the 12-24 hour period from late Friday night into Saturday night were as follows: 30 inches of snow at Tahoe City, Donner Summit (7200 feet I-80), and Incline Village, 40-50 inches of snow at Kirkwood Ski Resort, 60 inches at Echo Summit, and 48-60 inches around the Truckee area. Storm totals ending early Monday morning (23rd) were phenomenal. Much of the region below 7000 feet received between 4 and 6 feet of snow. Some ski resorts reported record or near record snow amounts for the storm. Alpine Meadows reported a total of 100 inches at 9800 feet. In addition, the 81 inches of snow that had fallen at 7000 feet at Alpine Meadows broke 12, 24, 48, and 72 hour records. Finally, about 8 feet of snow fell at the Kirkwood Ski Resort in a 36 hour period, 6 inches shy of the 1982...
- Winter Weather10/10/2008
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
2 deaths, $10K damage
What happened
According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, a couple from San Mateo, California were killed when their automobile slid across the centerline of Highway 89 near Sugar Pine State Park (on the west shore of Lake Tahoe) at around 11:20 am PDT on Friday, October 10th. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. According to the newspaper, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol stated that it appeared that the couple were maybe going too quick for the road conditions, the snow and slush.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind53 kt wind06/19/2026
Fallen Leaf, El Dorado County
- Heavy Rain05/26/2026
Riverton, El Dorado County
2 deaths, 2 injured
- Winter Weather04/21/2026
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
- Heavy Snow04/21/2026
Sierra Nevada of El Dorado-Amador-Northern Alpine Counties Above 5000 Ft Including Highway 50
- Flood04/12/2026
Diamond Spgs, El Dorado County
- Heavy Snow04/11/2026
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
- High Wind119 kt wind04/02/2026
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
- Heavy Snow04/01/2026
Greater Lake Tahoe Area
Drinking water
19 community water systems serve about 186,748 people. Violations since 2021.
1 system had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 1 system had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- El Dorado Id - MainServes 128,408 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- South Tahoe Pud - MainServes 30,089 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Georgetown Divide PudServes 9,434 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Placerville, City of - MainServes 9,224 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Lukins Brothers Water CompanyServes 3,277 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
- Tahoe Keys Water CompanyServes 1,420 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
- Tahoe City Pud - RubiconServes 1,384 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Grizzly Flats Community ServicServes 1,093 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Pacific House, 2.2 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 90°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 31°F in Dec. About 54.5 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 58.2 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°F | 32°F | 9.62 in | 10.1 in |
| Feb | 50°F | 31°F | 8.77 in | 17.3 in |
| Mar | 56°F | 33°F | 8.83 in | 13.5 in |
| Apr | 63°F | 36°F | 4.90 in | 5.4 in |
| May | 72°F | 42°F | 3.17 in | 0.6 in |
| Jun | 82°F | 47°F | 0.93 in | - |
| Jul | 90°F | 53°F | 0.03 in | - |
| Aug | 89°F | 53°F | 0.06 in | - |
| Sep | 83°F | 49°F | 0.55 in | - |
| Oct | 66°F | 41°F | 2.92 in | 0.1 in |
| Nov | 51°F | 35°F | 5.30 in | 3.8 in |
| Dec | 43°F | 31°F | 9.38 in | 7.4 in |
| Year | 53°F average | 54.5 in | 58.2 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in El Dorado County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in El Dorado County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk9 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is El Dorado County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates El Dorado County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $124M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate), earthquake (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in El Dorado County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 1,297 storm events affecting El Dorado County, most often heavy snow (668), high wind (214), heavy rain (140).
- How many tornadoes have hit El Dorado County?
- 5 tornadoes have been recorded in El Dorado County since 1950.
- How many homes in El Dorado County have flood insurance?
- 244 residential flood insurance policies are in force in El Dorado County, covering about 0.3% of homes. The program has paid $4.01M on 207 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in El Dorado County?
- At Pacific House, average highs reach 90°F in Jul and lows fall to 31°F in Dec, with 54.5 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.