Severe Weather

11 hazards · Natural hazards

The hazards that fill the calendar.

Tornadoes, hail, ice, heat and cold — the events most jurisdictions profile every cycle. Each one is its own item, so a plan that bundles wind, hail and lightning under “severe thunderstorm” still gets every piece of evidence filed where it belongs.

Talk to us about Severe WeatherAll 73 hazards →

What you’d hand your council

The first page of an evidence brief for Tornado, one of the 11 hazards here. There is one for every hazard your team prepares for.

Evidence brief for Cedar Ridge County (example)

September 14, 2026

Tornado

Hazard in Severe Weather, on the established threats & hazards list

Impact
5432112345

Likelihood

Likelihood
3

Possible — Expected occasionally — roughly once in 10 to 50 years (2–10% chance in any year).

Impact
5

Catastrophic — Overwhelming effects — mass casualties possible, widespread destruction, essential services out for a month or more, long-term recovery requiring state and federal assistance.

Readiness
2

Low — Some elements of capability are in place, but important gaps remain that could significantly limit the organization's ability to perform effectively. Additional development is needed before the capability can be relied upon.

  • 2source documents
  • 58verified mentions
  • 2federal declarations
  • 91.6NRI score, relatively high
Worked example: Cedar Ridge County is fictional. The scores illustrate the format and are nobody's decision. Open a full sample brief →

The 11 hazards in Severe Weather

Expected annual loss, nationally

Summed over every U.S. county, for the hazards FEMA models

  1. Tornado$11.5B
  2. Extreme Cold$9.9B
  3. Extreme Heat$7.1B
  4. Hail$3.2B
  5. High Wind$3.2B
  6. Lightning$1.6B
  7. Ice Storm$1.0B
  8. Winter Storm/Heavy Snow$552M

Not modelled by FEMA, so shown as the gap they are: Severe Thunderstorm, Blizzard, Dense Fog.

FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0

How we can help

How we’d help you prepare for Severe Weather

  1. 1

    We pull your county's record

    FEMA's National Risk Index rating and expected loss, every disaster declaration, and the daily temperature record behind heat and cold, before we meet.

  2. 2

    We read the plans you already have

    Your hazard mitigation plan and EOP annexes, so you can see what they say about Severe Weather and where the profile stops short.

  3. 3

    You leave with a cited brief

    Likelihood, impact and readiness for Severe Weather on your own scale, every figure tied to its source, ready for the planning team or the council.

Preparing for Severe Weather

Walk into your next plan update with Severe Weather already sourced.

Severe weather is the part of a plan everyone assumes is covered. We check whether yours says why, with your county's own record instead of a regional average. A person replies within one business day.

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