Alachua County, FL Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by lightning. 779 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $89.62M
- Relatively Moderate nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 779
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 2,149
- 2.5% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 7
- 19 tropical storms or stronger since 1867
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 90.3 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 34.8 of 100
Community resilience
Very High
Score 81.0 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $47.97B · Agriculture value exposed: $129M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $90.09M
Risk by hazard
- LightningVery High$2.86M/yr expected annual loss, about 84 events a year
- HurricaneRelatively High$34.39M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
- WildfireRelatively Moderate$3.77M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 267 years
- TornadoRelatively High$7.71M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$2.34M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.3 events a year
- Strong windRelatively Moderate$1.41M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$649K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,250 years
- Cold waveRelatively Low$1.37M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
- DroughtRelatively Low$77.43K/yr expected annual loss, about 20 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$474/yr expected annual loss, about once every 9 years
- HailVery Low$65.26K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
- Winter weatherVery Low$10.46K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 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, ice storm, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 2,149 of 84,597 (2.5%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 4,050
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 744 (18%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 309
- Claims paid since 1978
- $8.78M
Flood claims paid per year
- Hurricane Irma$3.94M · 82 claims
- Hurricane Elsa$2.22M · 25 claims
- Hurricane Frances$626K · 31 claims
- Hurricane Kate$263K · 3 claims
- Tropical Storm Debby$176K · 7 claims
- Flooding$117K · 9 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 779 events, 3 deaths, $3.97M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind397 · 2 deaths
- Hail126
- Heavy Rain94
- Flood34
- Funnel Cloud32
- Lightning26
- Wildfire17
- Drought14
- Tornado12
- Flash Flood11
Events per year
45 tornadoes on record (EF0 5, EF1 1, F0 18, F1 12, F2 8).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Thunderstorm Wind45 kt wind07/05/2015
Gainesville East, Alachua County
1 death, 2 injured
What happened
A tree limb was blown down at Poe Springs park, which hit a woman on the head. Two others were injured. The woman died due to head trauma from the tree limb.
- Thunderstorm Wind45 kt wind06/28/2008
Micanopy, Alachua County
1 death
What happened
A 27 year old state park ranger died when a tree fell through the roof of his vehicle at Pudgy Road during a thunderstorm in Paines Prairie State Park. He had stopped his car due to a downed tree crossing the road. A Significant Weather Alert was issued at 130 EDT which highlight wind gusts of 45-55 mph with possible minor damage.
- Tropical Storm08/30/2023
Western Alachua
1 death
What happened
Tropical cyclone winds impacted the county on 8/30. Trees and power lines were blown down.|At 0600, a 59-year-old man died when he crashed into a tree near State Road 20 and Southeast 60th Terrace,|in Gainesville due to heavy rainfall. At 0710, a spotter reported a large tree and power lines were blown|down about 3 miles NNE of Newberry. At 0720, the ASOS KGNV at the Gainesville Regional Airport measured|a 40 mph wind gust. At 0750, a mesonet station about 3 miles SE of the University of Florida measured a|wind gust of 45 mph at the Sweetwater Wetlands Park. At 0830, a mesonet site about 1 mile NE of the|University of Florida measured a wind gust of 51 mph. More than 30 downed trees and power outages were|reported.
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind04/14/2009
Archer, Alachua County
2 injured
What happened
Fire Rescue reported a tree on a car with 2 injuries on U.S. Highway 41.
- Thunderstorm Wind45 kt wind03/24/2013
Gainesville, Alachua County
1 injured, $5,000 damage
What happened
A tree was blown down on a home which resulted in a minor injury to the home homeowner. The time of damage was based on radar. The cost of damage was estimated for inclusion in Storm Data.
- Lightning06/04/2018
Arredonda, Alachua County
1 injured
What happened
A male was struck by lightning with only minor injuries. The time of the strike was estimated.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/31/2026
Phifer, Alachua County
$1,000 damage
- Thunderstorm Wind39 kt wind07/31/2026
Hague, Alachua County
$1,000 damage
- Thunderstorm Wind45 kt wind07/31/2026
La Crosse, Alachua County
$1,000 damage
- Hail0.75" hail07/11/2026
Gainesville West, Alachua County
- Thunderstorm Wind68 kt wind07/11/2026
Gainesville West, Alachua County
- Thunderstorm Wind68 kt wind07/11/2026
Gainesville, Alachua County
$8,000 damage
- Heavy Rain07/11/2026
Phifer, Alachua County
- Thunderstorm Wind57 kt wind07/10/2026
Air Base, Alachua County
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Alachua County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Eta (2020)11/01/2020 · Landfall: FL · 922 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Fay (2008)08/15/2008 · Landfall: FL · 986 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Barry (2007)05/31/2007 · Landfall: FL · 990 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
- Tropical Storm Isidore (1984)09/25/1984 · 999 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1982)06/18/1982 · 984 mbTropical storm69 mph nearby
- Hurricane King (1950)10/13/1950 · Landfall: FL · 955 mbCategory 181 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1947)09/20/1947 · Landfall: FL · 987 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1946)10/06/1946 · Landfall: FL · 977 mbCategory 175 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1937)08/24/1937 · Landfall: FLTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1936)08/20/1936 · Landfall: FLTropical storm52 mph nearby
Drinking water
15 community water systems serve about 222,701 people. Violations since 2021.
None of the systems serving this county had a health-based violation in this period.
- Gru - Murphree WtpServes 195,768 · Groundwater · Public and privateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Alachua WtpServes 8,220 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- High Springs WtpServes 5,795 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Newberry WtpServes 3,885 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Hawthorne WtpServes 2,275 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Archer Water SystemServes 1,500 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Palms of ArcherServes 1,092 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
- Waldo WtpServes 1,042 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 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 Gainesville RGNL AP, 4.8 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 91°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 43°F in Jan. About 48.3 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67°F | 43°F | 3.29 in |
| Feb | 71°F | 46°F | 2.67 in |
| Mar | 76°F | 50°F | 3.49 in |
| Apr | 82°F | 56°F | 2.74 in |
| May | 87°F | 63°F | 3.08 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 70°F | 7.56 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 72°F | 6.68 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 72°F | 6.40 in |
| Sep | 88°F | 69°F | 5.05 in |
| Oct | 82°F | 61°F | 2.68 in |
| Nov | 75°F | 51°F | 1.79 in |
| Dec | 69°F | 45°F | 2.88 in |
| Year | 69°F average | 48.3 in | |
Pollution sites
1 Superfund site and 7 toxic release facilities in Alachua County
Superfund sites
- Cabot/KoppersFinalGainesville
Toxic release facilities
- Argos Newberry Plant43,020 lbs released, Newberry
- Sivance LLC5,458 lbs released, Gainesville
- Gainesville Ready Mix Plantunder 1 lb released, Gainesville
- Argos USA High Springs Concrete Plantunder 1 lb released, High Springs
- Gainesville Asphalt0 lbs released, Gainesville
- Cemex Gainesville North0 lbs released, Gainesville
- Bear Archery Inc Dba Escalade Sports0 lbs released, Gainesville
Total: 48,478 lbs in 2024, 46,574 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk41 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Alachua County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Alachua County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $89.62M a year. The highest-rated hazards are lightning (very high), hurricane (relatively high), wildfire (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Alachua County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 779 storm events affecting Alachua County, most often thunderstorm wind (397), hail (126), heavy rain (94).
- How many tornadoes have hit Alachua County?
- 45 tornadoes have been recorded in Alachua County since 1950.
- How many homes in Alachua County have flood insurance?
- 2,149 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Alachua County, covering about 2.5% of homes. The program has paid $8.78M on 309 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Alachua County?
- At Gainesville RGNL AP, average highs reach 91°F in Jul and lows fall to 43°F in Jan, with 48.3 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.