Storm risk in Washoe County, Nevada

FEMA rates Washoe County Relatively High for natural-hazard risk overall, 105th of 3,144 rated counties. For a roof the three that matter are hail (Relatively Low), strong wind (Relatively Moderate) and tornado (Very Low). NOAA logged 11 hail reports here from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. Planning-level county ratings.

Washoe County: FEMA National Risk Index scores for overall risk, hail, strong wind and tornado, each on a scale of 0 to 100Overall riskOverall risk: score 96.7, Relatively High, 105th of 3,144 rated counties97Relatively High, 105th of 3,144HailHail: score 59.0, Relatively Low, 1289th of 3,126 rated counties59Relatively Low, 1289th of 3,126Strong windStrong wind: score 71.0, Relatively Moderate, 913th of 3,121 rated counties71Relatively Moderate, 913th of 3,121TornadoTornado: score 14.3, Very Low, 2695th of 3,144 rated counties14Very Low, 2695th of 3,144

Each dot is the county’s score from 0 to 100 against all rated U.S. counties; the bar colour is FEMA’s rating band.

Hazard by hazard

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in NVExpected yearly loss
OverallRelatively High 96.71052 of 17$207,254,109buildings
HailRelatively Low 59.01,2892 of 17$280,626buildings
Strong windRelatively Moderate 71.09131 of 17$106,650buildings
TornadoVery Low 14.32,6951 of 17$146,015all exposure

Rank 1 is the highest score. Expected annual loss is a county total in dollars per year, not a figure per home; the overall, hail and wind rows count buildings only, the tornado row all exposure.

Washoe County in plain numbers

  • FEMA's overall rating for Washoe County is Relatively High, score 96.7 of 100, 105th of 3,144 rated counties.
  • Hail: Relatively Low (score 59.0), 1289th nationwide and 2nd of 17 counties in Nevada.
  • Expected yearly hail loss to buildings: $280,626 for the whole county, about $2.84 per $1 million of building value.
  • NRI's hail record averages 0.1 hail events a year in the county.
  • Strong wind: Relatively Moderate (score 71.0), 913th nationwide; expected yearly loss to buildings $106,650, about $1.08 per $1 million of building value.
  • Tornado: Very Low (score 14.3), 2695th nationwide; total expected yearly loss $146,015.
  • Buildings in the county are valued at 98.9 billion dollars in the index; population 486,264.
  • Social vulnerability is rated Relatively Low and community resilience Relatively Moderate.
  • NOAA logged 11 hail reports in Washoe County from 2014 to June 2026; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 5 days and the largest stone was 1.25 inches.
  • 1 of our cities is in the county: Sparks.
  • 26 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have more than half of their land area in Washoe County.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Sparks is $6,790 to $15,035.
  • NOAA lists 1 tornado track in the county since 2014.

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s storm reports show where inside it the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Washoe County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail Sparks
  • 51 to 1.74 in
  • 01.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1.25 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

5 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Cities and ZIP areas in Washoe County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 26 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Sparks 89431 (100%), 89434 (31%), 89436 (100%), 89402 (100%) Roofers

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Washoe County?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washoe County Relatively High overall. By peril: hail Relatively Low, strong wind Relatively Moderate, tornado Very Low. The highest-scoring of the three for this county is strong wind (score 71.0).

How many hail reports has NOAA logged in Washoe County?

11 reports between 2014 and June 2026 in NOAA's Storm Events Database. A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is a county total, not a figure per home, and it is built for comparing counties, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties at planning level. It cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

How does Washoe County compare with the rest of Nevada?

For hail it ranks 2nd of 17 rated counties in the state; for strong wind 1st of 17; for tornado 1st of 17.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020). This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Planning-level information, not an inspection and not insurance advice.