Humboldt County, NV Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 394 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $15.75M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 394
- Most often high wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 5
- 0.1% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 40.8 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very Low
Score 14.1 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 2.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $4.71B · Agriculture value exposed: $136M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $13.35M
Risk by hazard
- WildfireRelatively Moderate$9.66M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 45 years
- DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.21M/yr expected annual loss, about 125 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$1.77M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 69 years
- AvalancheRelatively Low$45.67K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 30 years
- Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$164K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Low$267K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.5 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$656/yr expected annual loss, about 3.9 events a year
- Volcanic activityVery Low$4/yr expected annual loss, about once every 435 years
- LightningVery Low$48.86K/yr expected annual loss, about 20 events a year
- Cold waveVery Low$33.49K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 years
- Strong windVery Low$17.27K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 12 years
- HailVery Low$3,689/yr expected annual loss, about once every 46 years
- TornadoVery Low$4,378/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 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: coastal flooding, 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
- 5 of 9,426 (0.1%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 79
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 5 (6%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 16
- Claims paid since 1978
- $79.26K
Flood claims paid per year
Storm history
Since 1996: 394 events, 1 death, $4.73M in damage
- High Wind198
- Heavy Snow90
- Thunderstorm Wind57
- Hail10
- Flood7
- Tornado7
- Flash Flood7
- Winter Storm5
- Dust Storm4 · 1 death
- Winter Weather2
Events per year
8 tornadoes on record (EF0 3, F0 5).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Dust Storm06/10/2013
Humboldt
1 death, 37 injured, $1.5M damage
What happened
Thunderstorms winds produced a dust storm that reduced visibility to near zero at times and caused a 27 vehicle pileup on Interstate 80 just west of Winnemucca near mile marker 175. One driver was killed and 37 others were injured, 4 seriously. It took crews 20 hours to clear the debris and reopen Interstate 80. Damages are estimated.
- Flood02/07/2017
Adelaide, Humboldt County
$3M damage
What happened
Residents of Paradise Valley were inundated on at least two separate occasions as water poured off the Santa Rosa Mountains through the various creeks surrounding the town. Humboldt county reported over 68 rural roads that were damaged by the flooding. Damages are estimated.
- High Wind66 kt wind04/27/2010
Humboldt
2 injured
What happened
Widespread wind gusts between 64 and 76 mph across Humboldt county with a peak wind gust of 76 mph at the Texas Springs RAWS. A semi-trailer rolled over on Interstate 80 near Golconda due to the high winds. The driver and his passenger sustained moderate injuries.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- High Wind53 kt wind04/21/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind56 kt wind04/11/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind54 kt wind04/11/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind38 kt wind04/02/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind55 kt wind04/02/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind56 kt wind03/25/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind53 kt wind03/14/2026
Humboldt
- High Wind54 kt wind03/12/2026
Humboldt
Drinking water
7 community water systems serve about 11,204 people. Violations since 2021.
2 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step.
- Winnemucca City ofServes 8,518 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Gold Country EstatesServes 1,695 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Star City PropertiesServes 285 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Golconda GidServes 210 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Mcdermitt Water SystemServes 200 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Orovada Water DistrictServes 200 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Valmy Station Mobile Home ParkServes 96 · Groundwater · Private1 health violation+23 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 Orovada 3 W, 23 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 94°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 18°F in Dec. About 10.2 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 15.7 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°F | 19°F | 1.26 in | 4.9 in |
| Feb | 48°F | 23°F | 0.83 in | 2.5 in |
| Mar | 56°F | 27°F | 1.04 in | 1.4 in |
| Apr | 63°F | 31°F | 1.28 in | 1.4 in |
| May | 72°F | 38°F | 1.31 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 83°F | 44°F | 0.77 in | - |
| Jul | 94°F | 50°F | 0.21 in | - |
| Aug | 92°F | 48°F | 0.26 in | - |
| Sep | 82°F | 39°F | 0.51 in | - |
| Oct | 68°F | 29°F | 0.89 in | 0.3 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 23°F | 0.72 in | 1.1 in |
| Dec | 41°F | 18°F | 1.14 in | 4.0 in |
| Year | 49°F average | 10.2 in | 15.7 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 7 toxic release facilities in Humboldt County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Nevada Gold Mines LLC - Turquoise Ridge15.1 million lbs released, Golconda
- Marigold Mining Co1.3 million lbs released, Valmy
- Sierra Pacific Power Co North Valmy Station135,100 lbs released, Valmy
- Cyanco Co LLC26,396 lbs released, Winnemucca
- Granite Creek Mine5,413 lbs released, Golconda
- Carry-On Trailer Corp73 lbs released, Winnemucca
- Goldcorp Dee LLC - Lone Tree Mineunder 1 lb released, Valmy
Total: 16.6 million lbs in 2024, 203,773 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk9 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Humboldt County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Humboldt County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $15.75M a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate), earthquake (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Humboldt County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 394 storm events affecting Humboldt County, most often high wind (198), heavy snow (90), thunderstorm wind (57).
- How many tornadoes have hit Humboldt County?
- 8 tornadoes have been recorded in Humboldt County since 1950.
- How many homes in Humboldt County have flood insurance?
- 5 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Humboldt County, covering about 0.1% of homes. The program has paid $79.26K on 16 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Humboldt County?
- At Orovada 3 W, average highs reach 94°F in Jul and lows fall to 18°F in Dec, with 10.2 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.