Sutter County, CA Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by drought. 33 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $44.79M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 33
- Most often flood
- Flood insurance policies
- 3,166
- 11.5% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 83.7 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Score 57.3 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Moderate
Score 41.7 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $19.16B · Agriculture value exposed: $531M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $53.8M
Risk by hazard
- DroughtVery High$20.94M/yr expected annual loss, about 65 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$9.77M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 24 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$1.33M/yr expected annual loss, about 7.7 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Low$272K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 289 years
- Volcanic activityVery Low$24/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10,000 years
- LightningRelatively Low$199K/yr expected annual loss, about 8.4 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$997/yr expected annual loss, about 3.0 events a year
- TornadoVery Low$123K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 12 years
- HailVery Low$25.57K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 13 years
- Strong windVery Low$38.28K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 49 years
- Winter weatherVery Low$3,485/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 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: avalanche, 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
- 3,166 of 27,624 (11.5%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 0
- Flood claims since 1978
- 199
- Claims paid since 1978
- $3.05M
Flood claims paid per year
- Flooding$2.24M · 92 claims
- Pineapple Express - Southern$174K · 35 claims
- February California Atmospheric River$6,049 · 1 claim
Storm history
Since 1996: 33 events, 1 death, $1.05M in damage
- Flood14 · 1 death
- Tornado6
- Funnel Cloud4
- Hail4
- Heavy Rain4
- Thunderstorm Wind1
Events per year
6 tornadoes on record (EF0 3, EF1 1, F0 2).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flood11/14/2025
Pleasant Grove, Sutter County
1 death
What happened
California Highway Patrol reported that a 71 year old man drowned after his car was swept into a creek crossing as a bridge flooded on Fifield Road in Pleasant Grove in Sutter County due to heavy rain.
- Flood01/01/2006
Countywide, Sutter County
$900K damage
What happened
A series of warm winter storms brought heavy rain, mudslides, flooding, and high winds to Northern California. - Levee overtopping, breaching, and river flooding occurred along the Feather and Sacramento mainstem rivers as well as along numerous smaller rivers, creeks, and streams. Several urban areas had significant street flooding. The Sacramento weir was opened for the first time since 1997 with twenty gates opened. - Transportation throughout the area was difficult during the course of the storms as airports were closed due to the high winds and major road closures resulted from flooding and mudslides. Interstate 80...the main artery between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area...was closed near Fairfield in Solano County for several hours due to severe flooding. Additionally, Interstate 80 eastbound between Sacramento and Reno, NV, was closed for more than a day due to a massive mudslide, as was both directions of U.S. Highway 50 between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe.- The primary weather impacts were due to flooding. Snow levels during this period of precipitation were high...around 7000 to 8000 feet along much of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. - Three...
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Flood12/24/2025
Nicolaus, Sutter County
- Flood11/14/2025
Pleasant Grove, Sutter County
1 death
- Flood02/07/2025
Meridian, Sutter County
- Flood02/03/2025
Tarke, Sutter County
- Flood11/23/2024
Sutter, Sutter County
- Flood11/23/2024
Four Corners, Sutter County
- Flood02/04/2024
Tisdale, Sutter County
- Flood03/14/2023
Meridian, Sutter County
Drinking water
8 community water systems serve about 83,519 people. Violations since 2021.
3 systems 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.
- City of Yuba CityServes 70,256 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- City of Live OakServes 9,687 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Sutter Community S.D.Serves 2,904 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Wildewood East MutualServes 350 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
- Golden State Water Co. - RobbinsServes 207 · Groundwater · Local government3 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Tierra Buena Mhp #1Serves 50 · Groundwater · Private1 health violation
- Yuba Apartment HomesServes 40 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Harmony VillageServes 25 · Groundwater · Private2 health violations+1 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 Marysville Yuba CO AP, 9.5 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 96°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 38°F in Dec. About 20.1 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 38°F | 3.81 in |
| Feb | 60°F | 41°F | 3.65 in |
| Mar | 66°F | 43°F | 2.92 in |
| Apr | 73°F | 46°F | 1.40 in |
| May | 82°F | 52°F | 0.93 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 58°F | 0.28 in |
| Jul | 96°F | 61°F | 0.00 in |
| Aug | 95°F | 60°F | 0.05 in |
| Sep | 90°F | 56°F | 0.11 in |
| Oct | 79°F | 49°F | 1.03 in |
| Nov | 64°F | 41°F | 2.21 in |
| Dec | 55°F | 38°F | 3.68 in |
| Year | 62°F average | 20.1 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Sutter County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Sutter County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk2 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Sutter County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Sutter County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $44.79M a year. The highest-rated hazards are drought (very high), earthquake (relatively moderate), heat wave (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Sutter County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 33 storm events affecting Sutter County, most often flood (14), tornado (6), funnel cloud (4).
- How many tornadoes have hit Sutter County?
- 6 tornadoes have been recorded in Sutter County since 1950.
- How many homes in Sutter County have flood insurance?
- 3,166 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Sutter County, covering about 11.5% of homes. The program has paid $3.05M on 199 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Sutter County?
- At Marysville Yuba CO AP, average highs reach 96°F in Jul and lows fall to 38°F in Dec, with 20.1 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.