Avalanche Risk in California

All California counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index avalanche score

Avalanche risk — fast-moving snow and debris sliding down steep mountain slopes — is rated for 52 of 58 California counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Placer County carries the state's highest avalanche score at 97.8, with $7M in expected annual avalanche losses.

10 California counties are rated High or Very High for avalanche, and expected annual losses from avalanche total roughly $23M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.

County Rankings — Avalanche

#CountyAvalanche ScoreRatingAnn. Freq.Ann. Loss
1 Placer County
97.8
Very High 0.47 / yr $7M
2 Inyo County
96.5
Very High 0.17 / yr $3M
3 Los Angeles County
92.4
High 0.13 / yr $2M
4 Amador County
91.7
High 0.07 / yr $2M
5 Alpine County
91.1
High 0.33 / yr $2M
6 Tulare County
89.9
High 0.10 / yr $1M
7 Nevada County
89.5
High 0.30 / yr $2M
8 Lake County
89.3
High 0.13 / yr $1M
9 Mono County
86.4
High 0.20 / yr $1M
10 El Dorado County
85.8
High 0.33 / yr $1M
11 Siskiyou County
83.2
Medium 0.03 / yr $502K
12 San Bernardino County
78.5
Low 0.07 / yr $144K
13 Tuolumne County
58.9
Very Low 0.03 / yr $1K
14 Trinity County
54.8
Very Low 0.01 / yr $630
15 Fresno County
54.5
Very Low 0.01 / yr $690
16 Riverside County
51.6
Very Low 0.01 / yr $652
17 Humboldt County
47.2
Very Low 0.01 / yr $327
18 Kern County
46.8
Very Low 0.01 / yr $336
19 Sierra County
44.9
Very Low 0.03 / yr $303
20 Plumas County
43.4
Very Low 0.01 / yr $216
21 Shasta County
40.9
Very Low 0.01 / yr $273
22 Mariposa County
40.5
Very Low 0.01 / yr $171
23 Del Norte County
40.1
Very Low 0.01 / yr $229
24 Calaveras County
35.1
Very Low 0.03 / yr $138
25 Madera County
34.5
Very Low 0.01 / yr $107
26 Ventura County
33.9
Very Low 0.01 / yr $150
27 San Diego County
32.2
Very Low 0.01 / yr $137
28 Mendocino County
31.7
Very Low 0.01 / yr $90
29 Monterey County
30.8
Very Low 0.01 / yr $101
30 Santa Barbara County
30.7
Very Low 0.01 / yr $98
31 Modoc County
30.6
Very Low 0.01 / yr $89
32 Tehama County
28.2
Very Low 0.01 / yr $79
33 Butte County
27.8
Very Low 0.01 / yr $76
34 Lassen County
26.3
Very Low 0.01 / yr $60
35 Yuba County
22.7
Very Low 0.03 / yr $54
36 Glenn County
14.9
Very Low 0.01 / yr $23
37 Orange County
13.7
Very Low 0.01 / yr $16
38 Santa Clara County
13.0
Very Low 0.01 / yr $17
39 Sonoma County
10.8
Very Low 0.01 / yr $10
40 Colusa County
9.4
Very Low 0.01 / yr $7
41 Napa County
9.2
Very Low 0.01 / yr $7
42 San Benito County
8.2
Very Low 0.01 / yr $8
43 Yolo County
7.5
Very Low 0.01 / yr $5
44 Alameda County
6.6
Very Low 0.01 / yr $4
45 Stanislaus County
5.7
Very Low 0.01 / yr $3
46 San Luis Obispo County
5.4
Very Low 0.01 / yr $2
47 Contra Costa County
5.3
Very Low 0.01 / yr $3
48 Merced County
3.4
Very Low 0.01 / yr $1
49 Santa Cruz County
3.1
Very Low 0.01 / yr $1
50 San Joaquin County
2.2
Very Low 0.01 / yr $0
51 Solano County
1.5
Very Low 0.01 / yr $0
52 Kings County
0.1
Very Low 0.01 / yr $0

52 California counties with measurable avalanche risk. See the national avalanche ranking or all California counties by overall risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which California county has the highest avalanche risk?

Placer County has the highest FEMA avalanche risk score in California at 97.8 (Very High), with $7M in expected annual losses and about 0.47 events per year.

How many California counties face significant avalanche risk?

52 California counties record measurable avalanche risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 10 of them are rated High or Very High.

Other Hazards in California

Coastal Flood Cold Wave Drought Earthquake Hail Heat Wave Hurricane Riverine Flood Landslide Lightning Strong Wind Tornado Tsunami Volcanic Activity Wildfire Winter Weather