Storm risk in Potter County, Texas

FEMA's overall hazard score for Potter County is 90.49 (Relatively Moderate), 300th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 99.62 (Very High), strong wind 97.36 (Relatively High) and tornado 97.71 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $898 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 226 hail reports in Potter County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Potter County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of TX$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $898 per $1 million, 5th of 3,126 rated counties$898Hail5th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $45 per $1 million, 903rd of 3,121 rated counties$45Strong wind903rd of 3,121 countiesTornado: $693 per $1 million, 147th of 3,144 rated counties$693Tornado147th of 3,144 counties
  • Potter County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Potter County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in TX
OverallRelatively Moderate 90.49300 of 3,14423 of 254
HailVery High 99.6213 of 3,1267 of 254
Strong windRelatively High 97.3684 of 3,1264 of 254
TornadoRelatively High 97.7173 of 3,12616 of 254

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$20,040,723$898 $85$22 5 of 3,1262 of 254
Strong wind$1,005,463$45 $26$20 903 of 3,121104 of 254
Tornado$15,468,629$693 $269$199 147 of 3,14419 of 254

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Potter County

  • FEMA expects hail in Potter County to cost $898 per $1 million of buildings a year: 40.21 times the U.S. median and 10.56 times the TX county median, ranked 5th of 3,126 counties nationally and 2nd of 254 in Texas.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Potter County to cost $45 per $1 million of buildings a year: 2.21 times the U.S. median and 1.71 times the TX county median, ranked 903rd of 3,121 counties nationally and 104th of 254 in Texas.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Potter County to cost $693 per $1 million of buildings a year: 3.48 times the U.S. median and 2.57 times the TX county median, ranked 147th of 3,144 counties nationally and 19th of 254 in Texas.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $134,900 home, the average yearly loss in Potter County is about $121 for hail and $6.08 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $3.01 and $2.75.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Potter County meets about 98.3 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1962, the median home in Potter County is 64 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 87.1% of its 49,133 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 160 of the 226 hail reports in Potter County (71 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Potter County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$121hail, a year; $3.01 at the U.S. median county rate
$6.08strong wind, a year; $2.75 at the U.S. median county rate
$2,546hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Potter County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $20,040,723 ÷ $22,306,629,341 = 0.0008984. Wind: $1,005,463 ÷ $22,306,629,341 = 0.0000451. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Potter County in plain numbers

  • Potter County scores 90.49 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 300th of 3,144 rated counties and 23rd of 254 in Texas.
  • Hail scores 99.62 (Very High). FEMA expects $20,040,723 of hail damage to buildings in Potter County a year, which is $898 per $1 million of buildings, 40.21 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 97.36 (Relatively High) with $1,005,463 of expected yearly building loss in Potter County: $45 per $1 million of buildings, 2.21 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 97.71 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $15,468,629, counting everything exposed, or $693 per $1 million of buildings in Potter County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Potter County averages 8.39 hail events and 3.25 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 226 hail reports in Potter County between 2014 and June 2026, on 62 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 3 inches.
  • In Potter County, FEMA counts buildings worth 22.31 billion dollars and 118,502 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively High in Potter County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively Low, for 118,502 residents.
  • 1 city in Potter County is covered on this site: Amarillo. 11 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Amarillo is $5,600 to $12,400.
  • Potter County ranks 1 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 24 for wind and 12 for tornado.
  • In Potter County, May is the busiest month with 87 of the 226 reports (38 percent), against 3 reports in November.
  • Potter County's worst year was 2019, with 12 hail days at 1 inch or more and 55 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 4.92 such days a year, one about every 2.4 months.
  • The median home in Potter County was built in 1962; 70.8% of its 49,133 housing units date from before 1980, 87.1% from before 2000 and 6.1% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Potter County at $134,900, and 56.5% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 6,432 single-family building permits were issued in Potter County from 2014 to 2025, about 130.9 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2022.
  • NOAA lists 6 tornado tracks in Potter County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on June 13, 2016 near (Ama)Amarillo Intl A, 1.24 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Potter County is 93 mph on June 14, 2015 at Bushland.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Lubbock County, 124 miles from the centre of Potter County; its hail score is 99.78.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 15 roofing contractor establishments in Potter County in 2023, one for every 3,276 homes.
  • FEMA has named Potter County in 3 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 120 days before its data end, and 0 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Potter County, year by year

NOAA logged 226 reports in Potter County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 62 days. That is 4.9 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Potter County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more01020304050602014: 19 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch142015: 18 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch152016: 31 reports, 8 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3 inch162017: 17 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch172018: 7 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch182019: 55 reports, 12 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch192020: 24 reports, 5 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch202021: 4 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch212022: 22 reports, 5 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch222023: 11 reports, 6 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch232024: 6 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch242025: 8 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch252026: 4 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Potter County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 7 reports7MarApril: 17 reports17AprMay: 87 reports87MayJune: 49 reports49JunJuly: 10 reports10JulAugust: 29 reports29AugSeptember: 20 reports20SepOctober: 2 reports2OctNovember: 3 reports3NovDecember: 2 reports2Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: May, 87 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
201419422 in–
201518432.5 in–
201631833 in–
201717432.5 in–
20187101 in–
2019551262.5 in–
202024522 in$18,000,000
20214301.25 in–
202222532.75 in–
202311612.5 in–
20246411.75 in$2,000
20258312.5 in$29,000
2026 (to June)4322.75 in$38,000

Biggest hail days in Potter County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
May 16, 20163 in8none recordedValle De Oro
May 1, 20222.75 in11none recordedAmarillo
May 22, 20262.75 in1$15,000Bushland
May 7, 20192.5 in10none recordedBushland
May 9, 20152.5 in4none recordedBushland

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Potter County

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  • 891 to 1.74 in
  • 471.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 42.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 3 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

163 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates; the map shows the 140 largest. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Potter County

Fastest gusts in Potter County

DateGustNear
June 14, 201593 mphBushland
June 13, 202691 mphValle De Oro
August 19, 201586 mphAmarillo
May 1, 202286 mphValle De Oro

Strongest tornado tracks in Potter County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
June 13, 2016EF11.24 mi0 / 0(Ama)Amarillo Intl A
June 3, 2023EF00.24 mi0 / 0Amarillo
May 27, 2019EF01.58 mi0 / 0Valle De Oro
August 13, 2017EF00.09 mi0 / 0(Ama)Amarillo Intl A

6 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Potter County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 4.92 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Potter County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 10.5% of homes10.5%<19404471940s: 13.8% of homes13.8%1940s3981950s: 22.7% of homes22.7%1950s3491960s: 13.4% of homes13.4%1960s3001970s: 10.5% of homes10.5%1970s2511980s: 9.6% of homes9.6%1980s2021990s: 6.7% of homes6.7%1990s1522000s: 6.8% of homes6.8%2000s1032010s: 5.5% of homes5.5%2010s542020+: 0.6% of homes0.6%2020+15

Bars: share of 49,133 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1962
Built before 198070.8%
Built before 200087.1%
Built since 20106.1%
Owner-occupied56.5%
Median home value$134,900
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20256,432
Permits per 1,000 homes130.9

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Potter County

Roofing firms in Potter County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202315
Change since 2016+2 (+15%)
Homes per roofing firm3,276
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023111

Source for Potter County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160. Full roofing-market page for Potter County.

FEMA disaster declarations naming Potter County since 2014

Declarations naming Potter County3
Storm / flood / winter / fire0 / 0 / 2 / 1
Median TX county4
Rank among 174 TX counties141
Days from the latest to the data cutoff120

Source for Potter County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Potter County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Lubbock County, TX124 Relatively High $4550.51$2505.54124
Taylor County, TX243 Relatively Moderate $6230.69$210.47158
Midland County, TX244 Relatively Moderate $2110.23$160.35170
Ector County, TX247 Relatively Moderate $3870.43$120.27167
Tom Green County, TX285 Relatively Low $1170.13$160.35218
Tarrant County, TX320 Relatively High $3140.35$1.550.03541

More Texas counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Potter 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. 11 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Amarillo 79101 (100%), 79102 (100%), 79106 (90%), 79109 (21%), 79119 (0%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Potter County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Potter County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Potter County an overall score of 90.49 (Relatively Moderate), 300th of 3,144. Hail scores 99.62 (Very High), strong wind 97.36 (Relatively High) and tornado 97.71 (Relatively High).

In Potter County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 226 for Potter County between 2014 and June 2026, on 62 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 3 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Potter County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $134,900: FEMA's estimate is about $121 a year for hail and $6.08 for wind, before any deductible, against $3.01 and $2.75 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Potter County compare with the rest of Texas?

Per $1 million of buildings Potter County loses $898 to hail a year, against $85 in the median county of the state. Among 254 rated counties it is 7th for hail, 4th for strong wind and 16th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Potter County?

The median home was built in 1962, 64 years ago, and 87.1% of the 49,133 housing units in Potter County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

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 built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

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

Sources for Potter County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Potter County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Potter County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Potter County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Potter County. Planning-level information about Potter County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

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).