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Superior AZ aerial cropPhoto: zeesstof from The Woodlands, TX, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Superior · FEMA

FEMA puts Superior’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 87% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Superior gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #98 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then wildfire (48%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 50%Wildfire 48%

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

more than 87%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#98 of 140 in Arizona
Hazard risk
D#98 of 140
in Arizona · higher than 87% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 10 declared for Pinal County
By hazard

What Superior 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

50%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Wildfire

48%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Tornadoes Strong wind Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Superior’s grade

River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Superior, and Superior’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 48%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Superior sits
Superior
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #98 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Superior’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding50%Wildfire48%Everything else2%

The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Superior has more expected damage per building than 70% of Arizona towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Superior: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Superior’s 2,407 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Superior flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Superior. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Superior isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Pinal County.
Disasters

The storms Superior remembers

None of the 10 disasters declared for Pinal County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Superior itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SuperiorPinal County only

Pinal County has had 10 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 10 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinal County, 2002–2025.

Be ready

Get ready for what Superior faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Superior

Is Superior at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Superior has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #98 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and wildfire (48%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Superior 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 Pinal County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Superior?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Superior’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Superior at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Superior’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Superior.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Superior’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.