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Risk: Relatively Low

Lassen County, CA Environment & Hazard Risk

Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 578 storm events since 1996.

Expected yearly loss
$25.39M
Relatively Low nationally
Storm events since 1996
578
Most often heavy snow
Flood insurance policies
63
0.5% of homes
Hurricanes nearby
0
Since 1851

Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025

Overall risk

Relatively Low

Score 73.1 of 100

Social vulnerability

Relatively High

Score 69.3 of 100

Community resilience

Relatively Moderate

Score 56.6 of 100

Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.

Building value exposed: $6.78B · Agriculture value exposed: $59.18M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $33.13M

Risk by hazard

  • WildfireRelatively Moderate$7.31M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 90 years
  • EarthquakeRelatively Low$4.1M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 30 years
  • Volcanic activityRelatively Low$3,275/yr expected annual loss, about once every 455 years
  • DroughtRelatively Moderate$924K/yr expected annual loss, about 83 events a year
  • Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$191K/yr expected annual loss, about 26 events a year
  • LandslideVery Low$1,131/yr expected annual loss, about 2.5 events a year
  • LightningRelatively Low$101K/yr expected annual loss, about 16 events a year
  • AvalancheVery Low$60/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
  • Heat waveVery Low$72.64K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
  • HailVery Low$14.33K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 16 years
  • Strong windVery Low$30.99K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 20 years
  • TornadoVery Low$6,110/yr expected annual loss, about once every 21 years
  • Cold waveVery Low$0/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,551,631 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, 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
63 of 12,189 (0.5%)
Homes in high-risk flood zones
544
Insured in high-risk zones
51 (9%)
Flood claims since 1978
52
Claims paid since 1978
$1.08M

Flood claims paid per year

Flood claims paid per year in Lassen County
  • Flooding$149K · 22 claims

Storm history

Since 1996: 578 events, 0 deaths, $8.1M in damage

  • Heavy Snow283
  • High Wind118
  • Heavy Rain61
  • Winter Weather41
  • Hail12
  • Thunderstorm Wind10
  • Flood10
  • Dense Fog9
  • Winter Storm9
  • Debris Flow5

Events per year

Storm events per year in Lassen County
21
17
12
10
9
12
4
5
11
5
19
40
32
24
19
17
12
17
23
8

4 tornadoes on record (EF0 1, EF1 2).

Most damaging storms

Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage

  • Flood12/31/2005

    Susanville, Lassen County

    $5M damage

    What happened

    Extensive flooding was reported along the Susan River. Streets in Susanville and county roads were flooded. Flooding also occurred at a Union Pacific railroad trestle. Logs and other debris became lodged in the trestle and water was forced to flow around the trestle, flooding the area. Minor flooding was also reported on the Pit River near Bieber and Nubieber.

  • Lightning07/26/1997

    Eagle Lake Resort, Lassen County

    2 injured

    What happened

    Two people were struck by lightning while docking their boat at Eagle Lake. One individual was hospitalized.

  • High Wind61 kt wind11/05/2025

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

    1 injured, $80K damage

    What happened

    Doyle RAWS, Hidden Valley RAWS, and Pierce RAWS reported peak wind gusts of 70, 60 and 61 mph, respectively. The Lassen County EM reported wind damage in and around Susanville and Standish, including broken power poles (80+ different power outages) and trees down. A weather spotter in Susanville reported that a pine tree 36 in diameter snapped and hit and destroyed a vehicle, while another 30 pine tree also broke and hit a house, causing damage. Winds were likely stronger in town given the damage reports, but we lacked observations for ground truth.

  • Flood01/01/1997

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

    1 injured

    What happened

    Please see flood summary under Nevada zones from 1/01/97 to 1/17/97.

  • Flood02/09/2017

    Susanville, Lassen County

    $500K damage

    What happened

    Major flooding on the Susan River caused extensive damage in and to the east of Susanville from the afternoon of the 9th into the 10th. The flooding prompted the evacuation of a number of homes and apartment complexes in Susanville during the afternoon and evening of the 9th. The damage estimate for this event is rough and could be significantly in error.

  • High Wind52 kt wind12/14/2002

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

    $220K damage

Latest storm reports

Newest first

  • Strong Wind45 kt wind05/03/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

  • Heavy Snow04/21/2026

    Lassen Volcanic National Park

  • Winter Weather04/11/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

  • High Wind53 kt wind04/01/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

  • Winter Storm02/19/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

  • Heavy Snow02/16/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

  • Winter Weather02/10/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

  • Heavy Snow01/04/2026

    Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra

Drinking water

15 community water systems serve about 17,191 people. Violations since 2021.

2 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 3 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.

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 Susanville 2sw, 7.4 mi from the county center

Summer highs peak around 88°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 22°F in Jan. About 13.0 inches of rain falls in a typical year.

MonthHighLowRain
Jan43°F22°F2.44 in
Feb48°F26°F2.31 in
Mar54°F30°F1.67 in
Apr61°F34°F0.49 in
May69°F40°F0.82 in
Jun79°F47°F0.37 in
Jul88°F53°F0.21 in
Aug87°F52°F0.11 in
Sep80°F45°F0.24 in
Oct67°F36°F0.97 in
Nov52°F28°F1.49 in
Dec43°F22°F1.90 in
Year50°F average13.0 in

Pollution sites

0 Superfund sites and 2 toxic release facilities in Lassen County

Superfund sites

None in this county.

Toxic release facilities

Total: 8,258 lbs in 2024, 0 lbs to air.

Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk4 historic places

Frequently asked questions

How risky is Lassen County for natural disasters?
FEMA rates Lassen County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $25.39M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively moderate), earthquake (relatively low), volcanic activity (relatively low).
What storms are most common in Lassen County?
Since 1996, NOAA recorded 578 storm events affecting Lassen County, most often heavy snow (283), high wind (118), heavy rain (61).
How many tornadoes have hit Lassen County?
4 tornadoes have been recorded in Lassen County since 1950.
How many homes in Lassen County have flood insurance?
63 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Lassen County, covering about 0.5% of homes. The program has paid $1.08M on 52 claims here since 1978.
What is the weather like in Lassen County?
At Susanville 2sw, average highs reach 88°F in Jul and lows fall to 22°F in Jan, with 13.0 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.