Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Scottsdale than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scottsdale gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #65 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 148 claims here since 1978.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Scottsdale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Scottsdale faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Scottsdale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Scottsdale, and Scottsdale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #65 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Scottsdale’s residents live in 63 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Scottsdale has less expected damage per building than 54% of Arizona towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Scottsdale has higher expected damage per building than 69% (#276 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $172M, is the 54th largest of those 400.
Does Scottsdale flood? Yes: 148 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Scottsdale, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Scottsdale is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Maricopa County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Scottsdale
Disasters that paid out in Scottsdale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Scottsdale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 256 households applied for aid$555K aid approved
Its 2 counties have had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in its 2 counties, 2005–2024.
Old photos of Scottsdale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Scottsdale archive →Scottsdale and its neighbors
Scottsdale is 6th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carefree | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Fountain Hills | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cave Creek | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Phoenix | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 863 |
| Paradise Valley | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Scottsdale | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 148 |
| Tempe | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Scottsdale faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
- Scottsdale residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Scottsdale
Is Scottsdale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scottsdale has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #65 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and wildfire (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Scottsdale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 148 claims in Scottsdale since 1978, $2.5M in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Scottsdale in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Maricopa County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Scottsdale?
Scottsdale is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Scottsdale?
By FEMA money that reached Scottsdale, (): 256 households applied for aid, $555K approved.
Is Scottsdale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Scottsdale’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Scottsdale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Scottsdale’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.