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Risk: Very Low

Baker County, FL Environment & Hazard Risk

Very Low natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 281 storm events since 1996.

Expected yearly loss
$6.3M
Very Low nationally
Storm events since 1996
281
Most often thunderstorm wind
Flood insurance policies
146
1.5% of homes
Hurricanes nearby
2
12 tropical storms or stronger since 1871

Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025

Overall risk

Very Low

Score 13.3 of 100

Social vulnerability

Relatively Low

Score 24.4 of 100

Community resilience

Relatively High

Score 71.8 of 100

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

Building value exposed: $3.8B · Agriculture value exposed: $17M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $5.8M

Risk by hazard

  • WildfireRelatively Low$328K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 299 years
  • HurricaneRelatively Low$1M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5 years
  • Heat waveRelatively Low$587K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.1 events a year
  • LightningRelatively Low$234K/yr expected annual loss, about 80 events a year
  • EarthquakeVery Low$132K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 935 years
  • TornadoRelatively Low$626K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
  • Cold waveVery Low$202K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
  • DroughtVery Low$1,709/yr expected annual loss, about 18 events a year
  • HailVery Low$29.1K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.0 events a year
  • Strong windVery Low$65.3K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.2 events a year
  • LandslideVery Low$4/yr expected annual loss, about once every 14 years
  • Winter weatherVery Low$1,985/yr expected annual loss, about once every 9 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
146 of 9,954 (1.5%)
Homes in high-risk flood zones
459
Insured in high-risk zones
96 (21%)
Flood claims since 1978
95
Claims paid since 1978
$2.9M

Flood claims paid per year

Flood claims paid per year in Baker County
Beta
  • Tropical Storm Debby$938K · 24 claims
  • Hurricane Irma$894K · 21 claims
  • Hurricane Frances$247K · 6 claims
  • Tropical Storm Fay$223K · 9 claims
  • Flooding$103K · 3 claims
  • Hurricane Debby$31.9K · 2 claims

Storm history

Since 1996: 281 events, 2 deaths, $4.1M in damage

  • Thunderstorm Wind133
  • Heavy Rain36
  • Hail31
  • Wildfire22 · 1 death
  • Flood13
  • Tropical Storm12
  • Drought9
  • Tornado6
  • Flash Flood6
  • Lightning4
Beta

Events per year

Storm events per year in Baker County
10
9
3
3
7
6
5
11
8
12
10
9
14
17
8
8
22
7
11
15
Beta

12 tornadoes on record (EF0 3, EF1 1, EF2 1, F0 5, F1 1, F2 1).

Most damaging storms

Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage

  • Heat07/19/2023

    Baker

    1 death

    What happened

    A 10-month-old girl died after being left in a hot vehicle in Macclenny Florida.

  • Wildfire04/23/2026

    Baker

    1 death

    What happened

    A very small brush fire ignited but was quickly suppressed on the 23rd of April. However, a volunteer firefighter passed away after suffering a medical emergency while battling the fire.

  • Flood03/01/1998

    Baker

    $2.2M damage

    What happened

    Total flooding related to El Nino, More than 2800 homes and more than 175 businesses destroyed.

  • Lightning04/13/2015

    Macclenny, Baker County

    2 injured

    What happened

    A lightning strike in Macclenny injured two. A structure fire was also caused. The cost of damage was unknown.

  • Dense Fog03/05/2026

    Baker

    2 injured

    What happened

    Traffic accidents attributed to dense fog in the west bound lanes of Interstate 10 to the west of Sanderson closed both west and eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 for approximately 2 hours on Thursday morning. 2 injuries occurred as a result of traffic accidents.

  • Lightning05/07/2022

    Macclenny, Baker County

    1 injured

    What happened

    A person was struck by lightning north of Macclenny. The person was alert when medics arrived.

Drinking water

4 community water systems serve about 10,228 people. Violations since 2021.

None of the systems serving this county had a health-based violation in this period.

Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.

Pollution sites

0 Superfund sites and 2 toxic release facilities in Baker County

Superfund sites

None in this county.

Toxic release facilities

Total: 40,675 lbs in 2024, 0 lbs to air.

Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk3 historic places

Frequently asked questions

How risky is Baker County for natural disasters?
FEMA rates Baker County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $6.3M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively low), hurricane (relatively low), heat wave (relatively low).
What storms are most common in Baker County?
Since 1996, NOAA recorded 281 storm events affecting Baker County, most often thunderstorm wind (133), heavy rain (36), hail (31).
How many tornadoes have hit Baker County?
12 tornadoes have been recorded in Baker County since 1950.
How many homes in Baker County have flood insurance?
146 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Baker County, covering about 1.5% of homes. The program has paid $2.9M on 95 claims here since 1978.
What is the weather like in Baker County?
At Glen St Mary 1 W, average highs reach 93°F in Jul and lows fall to 40°F in Jan, with 53.2 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.

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