Union County, FL Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by hurricane. 151 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $5M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 151
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 65
- 1.4% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 3
- 7 tropical storms or stronger since 1871
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 10.9 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 39.5 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Low
Score 32.0 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $1.9B · Agriculture value exposed: $9.9M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $5.3M
Risk by hazard
- HurricaneRelatively Low$2.2M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5 years
- WildfireRelatively Low$231K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 276 years
- LightningRelatively Low$216K/yr expected annual loss, about 82 events a year
- Heat waveVery Low$191K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.5 events a year
- TornadoRelatively Low$434K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 years
- EarthquakeVery Low$51.7K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,105 years
- DroughtVery Low$3,016/yr expected annual loss, about 17 events a year
- Cold waveVery Low$108K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
- Strong windVery Low$68.2K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.0 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$3/yr expected annual loss, about once every 34 years
- Winter weatherVery Low$1,115/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10 years
- HailVery Low$1,781/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
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
- 65 of 4,602 (1.4%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 155
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 45 (29%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 31
- Claims paid since 1978
- $500K
Flood claims paid per year
- Hurricane Irma$151K · 5 claims
- Flooding$118K · 4 claims
- Tropical Storm Debby$78.8K · 5 claims
- Hurricane Elsa$20.4K · 1 claim
- Hurricane Debby$13.4K · 1 claim
- Hurricane Jeanne$2,377 · 2 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 151 events, 0 deaths, $1.6M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind83
- Hail15
- Drought10
- Tropical Storm9
- Heavy Rain8
- Wildfire6
- Tornado5
- Flood4
- Funnel Cloud4
- Flash Flood3
Events per year
8 tornadoes on record (EF0 1, EF1 1, F0 3, F1 3).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flood03/01/1998
Union
$1.3M damage
What happened
Total flooding related to El Nino, More than 2800 homes and more than 175 businesses destroyed.
Drinking water
2 community water systems serve about 4,875 people. Violations since 2021.
None of the systems serving this county had a health-based violation in this period.
- Reception and Medical CenterServes 3,000 · Groundwater · StateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Lake Butler WTPServes 1,875 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+17 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.
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 1 toxic release facility in Union County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Pride Union Forestry0 lbs released, Raiford
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk4 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Union County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Union County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $5M a year. The highest-rated hazards are hurricane (relatively low), wildfire (relatively low), lightning (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Union County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 151 storm events affecting Union County, most often thunderstorm wind (83), hail (15), drought (10).
- How many tornadoes have hit Union County?
- 8 tornadoes have been recorded in Union County since 1950.
- How many homes in Union County have flood insurance?
- 65 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Union County, covering about 1.4% of homes. The program has paid $500K on 31 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Union County?
- At Lake City 2 E, average highs reach 90°F in Jul and lows fall to 41°F in Jan, with 54.0 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.