Nevada Environment & Hazard Risk
2 counties rated high or very high risk. 8,472 storm events since 1996, #46 among states.
- Expected yearly loss
- $1.37B
- $443 per person
- Storm events since 1996
- 8,472
- Most often high wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 7,964
- $47.36M in claims paid
- Superfund sites
- 2
- 145 toxic release facilities
Risk by county
FEMA National Risk Index rating, highest risk first
| County | Overall risk | Top hazard | Flood policies | Flood claims paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | Very High | Heat wave | 1,197 | $9.29M |
| Washoe County | High | Earthquake | 1,357 | $30.87M |
| Elko County | Moderate | Wildfire | 97 | $142K |
| Douglas County | Moderate | Wildfire | 688 | $4.3M |
| Nye County | Low | Heat wave | 3,377 | $1.34M |
| Carson City | Low | Earthquake | 186 | $559K |
| Lyon County | Low | Wildfire | 325 | $679K |
| Churchill County | Low | Earthquake | 176 | $24.67K |
| Humboldt County | Very Low | Wildfire | 5 | $79.26K |
| Lincoln County | Very Low | Wildfire | 63 | $13K |
| Storey County | Very Low | Wildfire | 178 | $36.03K |
| Lander County | Very Low | Wildfire | 106 | $1,058 |
| White Pine County | Very Low | Winter weather | 77 | $1,511 |
| Mineral County | Very Low | Earthquake | 116 | $2,663 |
| Pershing County | Very Low | Wildfire | 3 | $18.85K |
| Eureka County | Very Low | Wildfire | 13 | $588 |
| Esmeralda County | Very Low | Earthquake | - | - |
Costliest hazards
Expected annual loss in Nevada, all counties combined
- Earthquake$366M/yr · 2 counties high
- Heat wave$305M/yr · 2 counties high
- Wildfire$157M/yr · 4 counties high
- Drought$5.62M/yr
- Hail$5.19M/yr · 1 county high
- Winter weather$5.19M/yr · 6 counties high
- Lightning$4.42M/yr · 3 counties high
- Strong wind$3.23M/yr
- Avalanche$2.6M/yr
- Cold wave$1.22M/yr
Storm events by type
Since 1996: 985 deaths, $1.1B in property and crop damage
- High Wind2,950 · 4 deaths
- Heavy Snow1,785
- Thunderstorm Wind886 · 3 deaths
- Flash Flood768 · 13 deaths
- Excessive Heat269 · 432 deaths
- Heavy Rain266 · 7 deaths
- Hail260 · 1 death
- Heat186 · 458 deaths
- Winter Weather166 · 6 deaths
- Strong Wind162 · 10 deaths
- Flood153 · 2 deaths
- Winter Storm116 · 4 deaths
Events per year
Most damaging storms
Since 2017, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Excessive Heat07/03/2024
Las Vegas Valley
42 deaths
What happened
Excessive Heat Warning criteria were reached on 10 straight days. Forty-two people died in Las Vegas of heat-related causes during and immediately after the heat wave.
- Excessive Heat07/20/2024
Las Vegas Valley
34 deaths
What happened
Excessive Heat Warning criteria were reached on six straight days. Thirty-four people died in Las Vegas of heat-related causes during and immediately after the heat wave.
- Excessive Heat07/06/2017
Las Vegas Valley
20 deaths
What happened
Excessive heat criteria were reached in Las Vegas from the 6th through the 8th. From the 6th through the 10th, 20 people died of heat related causes.
- Excessive Heat06/05/2024
Las Vegas Valley
19 deaths
What happened
Excessive Heat Warning criteria were reached on four straight days. During and immediately after the excessive heat, 19 people died in Las Vegas of heat-related causes.
- Heat08/01/2018
Las Vegas Valley
18 deaths
What happened
Eighteen people died in Las Vegas of heat related causes.
- Excessive Heat06/17/2017
Las Vegas Valley
18 deaths
What happened
Eighteen people died of heat-related causes in the Las Vegas Valley.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed the state, newest first
- Hurricane Kathleen (1976)09/07/1976 · 986 mbCategory 181 mph peak
Flood insurance
National Flood Insurance Program policies and claims
7,964 homes in Nevada have flood insurance, about 0.8% of residential buildings. In high-risk flood zones, 6,086 of 20,235 homes (30%) are insured.
- Flooding$21.3M · 556 claims
- Las Vegas Flash Flooding$512K · 2 claims
- Tropical Storm Hilary$346K · 8 claims
Drinking water
193 community water systems serve about 3,121,600 people
Since 2021, 43 systems reported 207 health-based violations. 20 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report. These had the most:
- Rosemount Water CoServes 54 · Groundwater · Private60 health violations+215 monitoring or reporting
- Silver Knolls Mutual Water CompanyServes 120 · Groundwater · Private21 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Shoshone Estates Water Co INCServes 240 · Groundwater · Private18 health violations+9 monitoring or reporting
- Primm Valley Casino ResortsServes 7,000 · Groundwater · Private12 health violations+15 monitoring or reporting
- Desert Sunrise Water Users AssocServes 25 · Groundwater · Private11 health violations+347 monitoring or reporting
- Equestrian Estates Co Op Water AssocServes 108 · Groundwater · Private8 health violations+5 monitoring or reporting
- Roark Estates Water AssocServes 60 · Groundwater · Private7 health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Sutcliffe Mobile ParkServes 60 · Groundwater · Private7 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
Select a county above to see every system that serves it.
Climate in the largest cities
1991-2020 normals from the nearest NOAA weather station
| City | July high | Jan low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 104°F | 39°F | 4.0 in | - |
| Henderson | 105°F | 41°F | 4.2 in | 0.2 in |
| North Las Vegas | 106°F | 38°F | 4.3 in | - |
| Reno | 93°F | 27°F | 8.1 in | 29.7 in |
| Enterprise | 106°F | 38°F | 4.8 in | 0.2 in |
| Sparks | 92°F | 25°F | 8.4 in | 6.8 in |
| Carson City | 90°F | 24°F | 9.3 in | 14.0 in |
| Pahrump | 101°F | 28°F | 5.0 in | - |
Pollution sites
2 Superfund sites and 145 toxic release facilities
Superfund sites
- Anaconda Copper MineProposed NPL Site, Yerington
- Carson River Mercury SiteFinal NPL Site, Dayton
Largest toxic releases
- Nevada Gold Mines LLC - Goldstrike Mines Inc49.1 million lbs, Carlin
- Nevada Gold Mines LLC - Carlin South Area28.1 million lbs, Carlin
- Nevada Gold Mines LLC - Turquoise Ridge15.1 million lbs, Golconda
- Robinson Nevada Mining Co14.5 million lbs, Ruth
- Nevada Gold Mines Llc-Cortez District12.0 million lbs, Crescent Valley
- US Ecology Nevada Inc.9.4 million lbs, Beatty
- Nevada Gold Mines LLC - Phoenix Mine8.6 million lbs, Battle Mountain
- Smoky Valley Common Operation6.3 million lbs, Round Mountain
Facilities in Nevada reported 162.1 million lbs of toxic releases in 2024, 781,118 lbs of it into the air.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the biggest natural hazard in Nevada?
- By expected annual loss, earthquake costs the most in Nevada ($366M a year), according to FEMA's National Risk Index.
- How many storms hit Nevada each year?
- NOAA recorded 8,472 storm events in Nevada since 1996, about 273 a year. The most common type is high wind.
- How many homes in Nevada have flood insurance?
- 7,964 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Nevada. Since 1978 the National Flood Insurance Program has paid $47.36M on 1,944 claims here.
- How many Superfund sites are in Nevada?
- Nevada has 2 Superfund sites on or deleted from EPA's National Priorities List.
Source: FEMA, NOAA, EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch each county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.