County storm facts
Storm prep for Riverside County residents
Riverside County has had 1,636 flood insurance claims since 1978, 60 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1965, and 188 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 CAC065) 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
Open shelters
Evacuation status
Live evacuation status isn’t shown here yet. Your county’s evacuation map has the current orders and warnings.
Road conditions
Closures, chain controls and incidents on state highways.
Recent burn areas
188 fires that started in Riverside County since January 1, 2021 have a mapped perimeter, covering 75,367 acres in all.
Largest
| Fire | Year | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Fairview | 2022 | 28,146 |
| Rabbit | 2023 | 8,356 |
| Lost Lake | 2022 | 5,857 |
Acres are each fire’s whole mapped area, which can reach past the county line.
Burned hillsides can’t soak up heavy rain, so mud and debris can rush downhill with little warning.
Source: NIFC WFIGS Interagency Fire Perimeters (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Flood history
1,636 flood insurance claims have been filed in Riverside County since 1978. 177 of them were for floods from 2017 to 2026.
The years with the most claims: 1980 (340), 1979 (243), 1983 (190).
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
Riverside County has been part of 60 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1965: 38 for fires and 22 for storms, floods or mudslides.
Most recent
- Bain FireMay 20, 2026 · FM-5636-CA
- Airport FireSeptember 11, 2024 · FM-5538-CA
- Hawarden FireJuly 21, 2024 · FM-5515-CA
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.
Coast and tsunami
The California Geological Survey’s tsunami hazard maps show no hazard areas in Riverside County. Those maps cover the state’s coastal and bay counties.
Source: California Geological Survey tsunami hazard areas (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Rain in past strong El Niño winters
October–March rainfall at the Riverside Fire Station 3 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 — Riverside Fire Station 3
6 of the 7 strong El Niño winters on record at Riverside Fire Station 3 were wetter than normal. They ranged from 54% of normal (2015-16) to 203% (1997-98) — a tendency, not a guarantee.
| Winter | ONI (DJF) | Oct–Mar total | % of normal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-58 | 1.69 | 11.74 in | 130% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1972-73 | 1.55 | 10.27 in | 113% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1982-83 | 2.14 | 14.98 in | 166% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1991-92 | 1.54 | 9.79 in | 108% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1997-98 | 2.22 | 18.40 in | 203% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2015-16 | 2.50 | 4.89 in | 54% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2023-24 | 1.84 | 10.96 in | 121% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
1957-58 is totaled from 180 of 182 days (NCEI has no reading for the rest).
1972-73 is totaled from 181 of 182 days (NCEI has no reading for the rest).
1982-83 is totaled from 181 of 182 days (NCEI has no reading for the rest).
1991-92 is totaled from 182 of 183 days (NCEI has no reading for the rest).
1997-98 is totaled from 179 of 182 days (NCEI has no reading for the rest).
Source: NOAA NCEI (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Local help
Alerts sign-up, free sandbags, evacuation zones and help lines for this county.
- Emergency management office / alerts sign-upAlert RivCo (opens in a new tab)
- Evacuation mapRiverside County Know Your Zone (opens in a new tab)
- SandbagsRiverside County Emergency Management sandbags (opens in a new tab)
- Help finding food, shelter and other services211 California (opens in a new tab)Call 211
Power and internet outages
Power
More than one utility serves this county. Check which one covers your address before you rely on its outage map.
- Outage mapSouthern California Edison (SCE) (opens in a new tab)
- Planned power shutoffs (PSPS)CPUC Public Safety Power Shutoff resources (opens in a new tab)
2 more we haven’t verified: search for them by name
- Outage mapImperial Irrigation District (IID)
- Outage mapCity of Riverside Public Utilities
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, landslide and tsunami maps.