Natural hazards · Blythe

Blythe, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Blythe comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2000.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Blythe?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Blythe to be higher than in 50% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding79%Earthquakes14%Heat waves6%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Blythe faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

79% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 18 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Blythe flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blythe, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2000

$9Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20002026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Blythe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Riverside County.

Disasters that hit Blythe

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Blythe itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into BlytheDeclared for Riverside County only

Riverside County has had 61 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Blythe covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Blythe’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Blythe. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Blythe total about $3.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.