Natural hazards · San Francisco

San Francisco, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in San Francisco comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 66 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is San Francisco?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in San Francisco to be higher than in 88% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes78%Inland flooding21%Everything else2%

By hazard

What San Francisco faces

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

Earthquakes

78% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

21% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtTsunamisVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

HurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanches

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 San Francisco flood?

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

66paid claims since 1978

$1.5Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

California Atmospheric River: 4 claims, $443K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: San Francisco County.

Disasters that hit San Francisco

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into San FranciscoDeclared for San Francisco County only

San Francisco County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around San Francisco

San Francisco and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Alamedamostly earthquakesVery high

Berkeleymostly earthquakesVery high

Albanymostly earthquakesVery high

Richmondmostly earthquakesVery high

San Franciscomostly earthquakesVery high

Daly Citymostly earthquakesVery high

Brisbanemostly earthquakesVery high

Tiburonmostly earthquakesHigh

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. San Francisco covers 241 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to San Francisco’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of San Francisco. 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 San Francisco total about $853M 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.