County storm facts
Storm prep for Hillsborough County residents
Hillsborough County has had 18,556 flood insurance claims since 1978, 39 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1968, and 0 mapped wildfires that started here since 2021.
Sources:
Local data from official sources, updated weekly. This snapshot: September 29, 2026. Alerts load live from the National Weather Service when you open this page.
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Source: National Weather Service alerts.
Forecasts for this county (NWS county zone FLC057) come from:
Source: National Weather Service (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Help right now
Live from FEMA and the Red Cross shelter list. Check your address on the home page for what’s nearest you.
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FEMA assistance
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Hurricane evacuation zone
Find your hurricane evacuation zone on your state’s official map. We don’t show zones on this page yet.
Recent burn areas
The national wildfire perimeter record lists no fires that started in Hillsborough County since January 1, 2021.
That record only includes fires with a mapped perimeter, so it isn’t a measure of fire risk.
Source: NIFC WFIGS Interagency Fire Perimeters (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Flood history
18,556 flood insurance claims have been filed in Hillsborough County since 1978. 11,462 of them were for floods from 2017 to 2026.
The years with the most claims: 2024 (10,269), 1985 (1,268), 2004 (821).
This is history, not a prediction. These are National Flood Insurance Program claims, so they only count insured buildings.
FEMA’s data runs through September 8, 2026.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Redacted Claims (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Federal disaster declarations
Hillsborough County has been part of 39 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1968: 5 for fires and 34 for storms, floods or mudslides.
Most recent
- Hurricane MiltonOctober 11, 2024 · DR-4834-FL
- Hurricane MiltonOctober 7, 2024 · EM-3622-FL
- Hurricane HeleneSeptember 28, 2024 · DR-4828-FL
FEMA’s ids start with DR for a major disaster, EM for an emergency and FM for fire management.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Landslide-prone ground
USGS maps about 9% of Hillsborough County as ground susceptible to landslides.
This is a county-wide figure, not a rating for your spot. Steep slopes, road cuts and burned hillsides above you matter most in heavy rain.
From the USGS U.S. Landslide Inventory and Susceptibility data release (2024). Susceptible ground is terrain steep and high enough for landslides like those mapped in similar places. The inventory counts only slides someone mapped, and some states map few, so a low count doesn’t mean the ground is stable.
Source: USGS landslide susceptibility, county table (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Rain in past strong El Niño winters
October–March rainfall at the Tampa International Airport weather station in past strong El Niño winters, compared with its 1991–2020 normal.
Oct–Mar rainfall in past strong El Niño winters, as % of the 1991–2020 normal — Tampa International Airport
5 of the 7 strong El Niño winters on record at Tampa International Airport were wetter than normal. They ranged from 61% of normal (1991-92) to 305% (1997-98) — a tendency, not a guarantee.
| Winter | ONI (DJF) | Oct–Mar total | % of normal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-58 | 1.69 | 20.25 in | 141% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1972-73 | 1.55 | 19.48 in | 136% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1982-83 | 2.14 | 20.50 in | 143% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1991-92 | 1.54 | 8.80 in | 61% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1997-98 | 2.22 | 43.80 in | 305% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2015-16 | 2.50 | 13.08 in | 91% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2023-24 | 1.84 | 15.83 in | 110% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
Source: NOAA NCEI (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Local help
Help lines, alert sign-ups and official emergency pages for this county and state.
- County alertsHCFL Alert (Hillsborough County) (opens in a new tab)
- 211Florida 211 (opens in a new tab)
- State alertsAlertFlorida (opens in a new tab)
- County emergency officesFDEM: County emergency management contacts (opens in a new tab)
- State agencyFlorida Division of Emergency Management (opens in a new tab)
- State recoveryFDEM Recovery (opens in a new tab)
- Federal disaster helpDisasterAssistance.gov (opens in a new tab)
- Open sheltersRed Cross open shelter finder (opens in a new tab)
- Road conditionsFL511 (opens in a new tab)
Power and internet outages
Power
Main power companies in Florida. Your bill names yours; check your address to see which may serve it.
Internet and phone
- Carrier statusAT&T outage map (opens in a new tab)
- Carrier statusSpectrum service status (opens in a new tab)
- Regional internet outagesCloudflare Radar: internet outages (opens in a new tab)
4 more we haven’t verified: search for them by name
- Carrier statusVerizon outage/status
- Carrier statusT-Mobile service status
- Carrier statusXfinity/Comcast support
- Carrier statusFrontier outage map
What about your street?
County numbers can’t tell you about your home. Check your address against the official flood, fire and landslide maps and live warnings.