Storm risk in Harris County, Texas
FEMA rates Harris County Very High for natural-hazard risk overall, 3rd of 3,144 rated counties. For a roof the three that matter are hail (Relatively Moderate), strong wind (Very High) and tornado (Very High). NOAA logged 169 hail reports here from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. Planning-level county ratings.
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
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in TX | Expected yearly loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Very High | 99.9 | 3 | 1 of 254 | $1,594,525,899buildings |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 92.0 | 253 | 46 of 254 | $1,540,077buildings |
| Strong wind | Very High | 99.3 | 24 | 2 of 254 | $3,781,988buildings |
| Tornado | Very High | 100.0 | 1 | 1 of 254 | $407,387,921all 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.
Harris County in plain numbers
- FEMA's overall rating for Harris County is Very High, score 99.9 of 100, 3rd of 3,144 rated counties.
- Hail: Relatively Moderate (score 92.0), 253rd nationwide and 46th of 254 counties in Texas.
- Expected yearly hail loss to buildings: $1,540,077 for the whole county, about $1.84 per $1 million of building value.
- NRI's hail record averages 2.4 hail events a year in the county.
- Strong wind: Very High (score 99.3), 24th nationwide; expected yearly loss to buildings $3,781,988, about $4.51 per $1 million of building value.
- Tornado: Very High (score 100.0), 1st nationwide; total expected yearly loss $407,387,921.
- Buildings in the county are valued at 838.8 billion dollars in the index; population 4,726,200.
- Social vulnerability is rated Relatively High and community resilience Very Low.
- NOAA logged 169 hail reports in Harris County from 2014 to June 2026; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 46 days and the largest stone was 2.75 inches.
- 1 of our cities is in the county: Houston.
- 132 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have more than half of their land area in Harris County.
- Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Houston is $6,510 to $14,415.
- NOAA lists 39 tornado tracks 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, Harris County
- 1021 to 1.74 in
- 351.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 12.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 2.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
138 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineCities and ZIP areas in Harris 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. 132 such areas have more than half their land here.
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How high is storm risk in Harris County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harris County Very High overall. By peril: hail Relatively Moderate, strong wind Very High, tornado Very High. The highest-scoring of the three for this county is tornado (score 100.0).
How many hail reports has NOAA logged in Harris County?
169 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 Harris County compare with the rest of Texas?
For hail it ranks 46th of 254 rated counties in the state; for strong wind 2nd of 254; for tornado 1st of 254.
Other Texas counties
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.