Merced County, CA Environment & Hazard Risk

• DroughtVery High$70.2M/yr expected annual loss, about 74 events a year
• EarthquakeRelatively High$62.4M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 11 years
• Heat waveRelatively High$10.2M/yr expected annual loss, about 10 events a year
• WildfireRelatively Moderate$1.6M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 193 years
• LightningRelatively High$739K/yr expected annual loss, about 6.6 events a year
• HailRelatively Low$403K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years
• LandslideVery Low$1,520/yr expected annual loss, about 15 events a year
• Volcanic activityVery Low$10/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5,000 years
• TornadoRelatively Low$322K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5 years
• Strong windRelatively Low$151K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 26 years
• Winter weatherVery Low$14K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
• AvalancheVery Low$1/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 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.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

3,886 of 74,382 (5.2%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

15,210

Insured in high-risk zones

3,699 (24%)

Flood claims since 1978

499

Claims paid since 1978

$14.7M

• Flood127
• Dense Fog121 · 2 deaths
• Drought75
• Frost/Freeze70
• Heat61
• High Wind58
• Excessive Heat41
• Funnel Cloud32
• Heavy Rain29
• Strong Wind19

• Dense Fog01/18/2024

  Merced-Madera-Mendota

  1 death, 6 injured, $100K damage

  What happened

  Visibility below a quarter mile was reported in Atwater, Merced and Madera. Several webcams showed visibility below 1000 feet. A 6 vehicle accident with three tractor trailers and three cars occurred at 557 PST on Westbound SR 152 at Road 9. The accident resulted in one fatality and several serious injuries. Visibility was below 1000 feet during the time of the accident.

• Flash Flood03/25/1998

  Merced, Merced County

  $11.1M damage

  What happened

  Over 65 homes and 19 apartments were flooded in and around Merced City as the result of torrential/record-setting rainfall in the previous 18 hours.

• Dense Fog12/03/2021

  Merced-Madera-Mendota

  1 death, $250K damage

  What happened

  Visibility below a quarter mile was reported in Atwater, Merced and Madera. Several webcams showed visibility below 1000 feet. California Highway Patrol was pacing traffic on SR 99 for several hours during the morning. California Highway Patrol also reported several fog realted multiple car accidents west of Chowchilla where visibility was below 100 feet. One accidents at the intersection of SR 152 and Ave. 9 at 836 PST resulted in one fatality. Several school districts either opened late or delayed or cancelled bus service.

• Heavy Rain05/01/1998

  Merced, Merced County

  $10.2M damage

  What happened

  The final estimated total damage figures for agriculture by county for the late winter/spring rain and below normal temperatures (Februrary through May) in Central California:Madera $7.1M ... Merced $10.2M ... Fresno $7.2M ... Kern $5.9M ... Kings $73.6M ... Tulare $5.3M. Fresno County had specifically $464K damage in May from inclement weather. For the rain season through May 31, Fresno had 71 days of measurable rain with Bakersfield having 68. Total rainfall for Bakersfield in May was 1.33" which was the 5th wettest on record ... Fresno had 1.37" which was the 8th wettest. Bakersfield's year-to-date total as of 5/31/98 was 14.36" eclipsing the old record set in 1977-78 of 11.78" and compared to a normal of only 5.72". Fresno's total rain was at 18.43" which is the 5th wettest on record and compares to a normal of 10.60"/year. There were no 90 degree days in Fresno or Bakersfield in May 1998. This is only the third time on record for either city that the warmest day did not reach 90 degrees during the month. The average monthly temperature for Bakersfield was only 61.0 degs F with the old record of 61.7 degs F in 1911. Fresno's average monthly temperature was 62.0 degs...

• Flood01/09/2023

  Atwater Muni Arpt, Merced County

  $10M damage

  What happened

  The Merced County Emergency Manager reported that several mandatory evacuations took place in Merced County as a result of flooding, The impacted areas included Planada which was completely evacuated as well as portions of Merced. Rainfall amounts in the Merced area were between 2 and 3 inches between noon on January 9 and the early morning of January 10 resulting in several cars being stranded and abandoned in flood waters as SR 99 through Merced and 16th St. in Merced were inundated with flood waters. A Flood Warning was already in place for Bear Creek since January 8 and continued through January 11. Bear Creek overflowed and peaked at a new record crest of 26.2 feet during the morning of January 10. Due to the anticipated severity of this event, resources were deployed to the Merced County EOC during the event with frequent live briefings taking place. In addition the the evacuations the took place in and around Merced, Amtrak cancelled several trains and buses through and into Merced due to the train station being flooded.

• Flood04/04/2006

  Merced Arpt, Merced County

  $9.7M damage

  What happened

  Due to continued heavy rain and subsequent high stream flows, a break in Black Rascal Creek flooded homes in north Merced. And Bear Creek raised over its banks in West Merced flooding a residential section in that vicinity. Overall there were approximately 300 homes flooded around Merced with over 500 people evacuated during the event.

• City of MercedServes 96,073 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• City of Los BanosServes 48,896 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting
• City of AtwaterServes 29,479 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• City of LivingstonServes 14,894 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting
• Winton Water & Sanitary DistServes 9,745 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting
• Delhi CwdServes 7,784 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• City of Dos PalosServes 7,452 · Surface water · Local government13 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• City of GustineServes 6,138 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting